352.5 


STREET  LIGHTING 

IN  ST.  LOUIS 


REP 

O R T 

OF  THE 

LIGHTING  COMMITTEE 

OF 

THE 

CIVIC 

LEAGUE 

1 

9 

0 8 

THE  CIVIC  LEAGUE  OF  ST.  LOUIS 

ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 


Junction  of  Lindell  Boulevard  and  McPherson  Avenue,  St.  Louis. 


^60 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


3 


So^.^5 

\C\ 


Statement  of  the  Executive  Board 


To  the  Citizens  of  St.  Louis: — 

More  than  a year  ago  the  Executive  Board  of  the  Civic  League 
appointed  a committee  “to  investigate  and  report  upon  the  most  de- 
sirable and  economical  form  and  method  of  lighting  the  streets  and 
alleys  of  the  city.” 

We  were  fortunate  in  securing  for  service  on  that  committee  men 
who  were  well  equipped  both  by  experience  and  training  to  furnish 
the  most  reliable  recommendations  for  the  proper  solution  of  this 
question.  They  were  J.  L.  Van  Ornum,  Chairman,  Professor  and  Head 
of  the  Civil  Engineering  Department,  Washington  University;  E.  L. 
Adreon,  Vice-President  and  General  Manager  of  the  American  Brake 
Company,  who  for  eight  years  served  as  Comptroller  of  the  city;  Joseph 
D.  Bascom,  of  the  firm  of  Broderick  & Bascom  Rope  Company;  Tres- 
cott  F.  Chaplin,  attorney;  John  J.  Lichter,  mechanical  engineer;  A.  S. 
Langsdorf,  Professor  and  Head  of  the  Electrical  Engineering  Depart- 
ment, Washington  University.  This  committee  is  equipped  to  pass  judg- 
ment, not  only  upon  the  engineering  problems  involved,  but  also  upon 
the  financial  and  legal  points  at  issue. 

The  committee  has  studied  the  question  from  every  point  of  view 
and  its  conclusions  are  expressed  in  the  accompanying  report,  which 
we  heartily  approve  and  submit  to  the  people  of  St.  Louis  for  their 
information. 

The  committee  deserves  the  commendation  of  the  entire  city  for 
the  time  and  labor  given  freely  to  this  careful  and  scientific  analysis 
of  the  lighting  problem. 


EXECUTIVE  BOARD. 

Mayo  Fesler,  Secretary.  H. 

T.  S.  McPtieeters 
N.  A.  McMillan 
Edward  C.  Eliot 
Geo.  C.  Hitchcock 
J.  H.  Gundlach 
Dr.  M.  B.  Clopton 
Geo.  D.  Markham 


N.  Davis,  President 
J.  L.  Hornsby 
B.  J.  Taussig 
Henry  T.  Kent 
J.  Lawrence  Mauran 
Chas.  Rebstock 
Chas.  A.  Stix 
Francis  A.  Drew 


May,  1908. 


4 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


Statement  of  the  Lighting  Committee 

To  the  Executive  Board  of  the  Civic  League: 

Gentlemen: — Your  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  question 
of  street  lighting  in  St.  Louis,  with  the  request  that  we  investigate 
and  report  upon  the  most  desirable  and  economical  form  and  method 
of  lighting,  begs  leave  to  submit  the  following  report,  containing  the 
conclusions  which  have  the  unanimous  approval  of  the  committee. 

During  the  investigation,  begun  more  than  a year  ago,  we  have 
consulted  all  of  the  literature  available  on  the  subject,  including  the 
lighting  reports  from  the  various  cities,  government  reports,  discussions 
on  the  question  of  municipal  ownership,  magazine  articles,  and  the 
exhaustive  report  of  the  National  Civic  Federation  on  the  “Municipal 
and  Private  Operation  of  Public  Utilities,”  which  contains  the  most 
recent  data  on  municipal  lighting  plants  in  American  and  English 
cities.  We  framed  a list  of  questions  which  were  sent  to  the  Supervisor 
of  Lighting  in  each  of  the  first  twenty  cities  in  the  United  States,  re- 
questing accurate  and  detailed  information  on  practically  every  phase 
of  the  problem.  We  have  carefully  reviewed  the  history  of  street 
lighting  in  St.  Louis  and  as  far  as  possible  examined  the  facts  relative 
to  the  rights  of  existing  corporations  and  the  laws,  both  state  and 
municipal,  controlling  them. 

From  these  sources  your  committee  has  drawn  its  conclusions,  which 
are  here  set  forth  in  detail,  and  also  summarized  in  the  brief  state- 
ment in  the  opening  pages. 

We  submit  this  report  with  the  hope  that  it  will  assist  in  some 
measure  at  least,  in  solving  the  lighting  question  in  St.  Louis  far 
enough  in  advance  of  the  expiration  of  the  present  contracts  as  to 
enable  the  city  to  secure  for  the  future  the  best  form  and  method  of 
lighting  and  at  a minimum  cost. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

LIGHTING  COMMITTEE, 

J.  L.  Van  Ornum,  Chairman.  Teescott  F.  Chaplin 

E.  L.  Adreon  A.  S.  Langsdorf 

Joseph  D.  Bascom  John  J.  Lighter 


Central  Avenue,  Rio  de  Janiero  — A Suggestion  for  the  Lighting  of  Twelfth  Street. 


6 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


Summary  of  Conclusions 

I.  The  present  contracts  for  street  lighting  expire  August  31,  1910. 

II.  Definite  arrangements  for  the  lighting  of  the  streets  should  be  made 
far  enough  in  advance  of  that  date  to  secure  the  best  system  of 
lighting  and  insure  the  best  terms  to  the  city. 

III.  The  committee  believes  that  for  the  present  at  least  the  residential 
section  of  the  city  should  be  lighted  by  gas  and  the  business  section 
by  electricity. 

IV.  The  present  cost  of  electricity  of  $97.50  per  arc  lamp  per  year  and 
$19.65  per  incandescent  lamp  per  year,  and  of  gas  at  approximately 
$27.00  per  mantle  lamp  per  year,  is  unreasonably  high  and  should  be 
materially  reduced. 

V.  Three  possible  ways  of  securing  a reduction  in  the  cost  of  electricity. 

A.  By  constructing  a municipal  plant. 

B.  By  encouraging  competition. 

C.  By  regulating  and  controlling  prices. 


?- 


A.  A Municipal  Plant: 

1.  The  total  cost  of  operating  a municipal  plant,  if  operated 
in  a business  like  manner,  would  be  approximately  2 y2 
cents  per  kilowatt  hour,  or  about  $69.00  per  arc  lamp  per 
year,  and  about  $17.00  per  incandescent  lamp  per  year. 

2.  But  the  danger  of  partisan  politics  in  the  management 
and  operation  of  the  plant,  which  tends  to  reduce  its 
efficiency  and  increase  its  cost,  indicates  the  inadvisability 
of  municipal  ownership  except  as  a last  resort. 

3.  Municipal  ownership  in  the  place  of  public  franchise 
grants  merely  transfers  the  danger  of  political  mismanage- 
ment from  the  legislative  body,  which  grants  the  franchise, 
to  the  administrative  officials  appointed  by  the  legislative 
body  to  operate  the  plant. 

4.  The  economy  of  municipal  operation  and  control  has  not 
yet  been  proven  in  this  country — only  two  of  the  first  ten 
cities,  Chicago  and  Detroit,  have  attempted  it.  The  ex- 
perience of  these  two  cities  is  not  such  as  to  warrant  the 
statement  that  a municipal  plant  would  be  more  economical 
than  contract  lighting. 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


7 


5.  In  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  the  conditions  at  the 
present  time  are  unfavorable  for  the  construction  and 
operation  of  a municipal  electric  lighting  plant  for  the 
lighting  of  the  streets  of  the  city;  and  it  believes  this 
function  should  not  be  undertaken  by  the  municipality  if 
reasonable  rates  and  efficient  service  can  be  secured  from 
private  companies.  However,  the  city  should  reserve  the 
right  to  construct  its  own  plant. 

B.  Competition : 

1.  The  duplication  of  investment  and  equipment,  the  damage 
to  the  pavement,  and  the  injury  to  the  appearance  of  the 
city,  make  competition  wasteful,  ultimately  add  to  the  price 
paid  by  the  consumer,  and  finally  induce  public  lighting 
corporations  to  merge. 

2.  The  company  which  supplies  commercial  lighting  can 
supply  public  lighting  at  a minimum  cost  to  the  city, 
because: 

(a)  Every  increase  in  the  demand  for  service  means  a 
decrease  in  the  cost  of  production. 

(&)  An  electrical  plant,  primarily  for  street  lighting, 
cannot  be  operated  economically  since  its  daily  out- 
put is  small  and  it  is  under  full  load  for  less  than 
half  the  time.  A commercial  plant  is  under  a more 
nearly  uniform  load  during  the  twenty-four  hours  of 
the  day. 

(c)  A private  company  can  take  immediate  advantage 
of  inventions  and  improvements  for  reducing  the  cost 
of  production.  Municipal  plants,  as  is  shown  by 
experience,  seldom  keep  pace  with  modern  and  im- 
proved methods. 

3.  Your  committee  is  of  the  opinion*  that  a resort  to  com- 
petition, while  it  might  assist  in  reducing  exorbitant  rates 
temporarily,  is  only  a makeshift;  and  that  permanently 
satisfactory  results  and  a minimum  cost  for  lighting  can- 
not be  secured  by  competition. 

C.  Regulation  and  Control  of  Existing  and  Future 

Companies : 

1.  The  Enabling  Act  of  1907  gives  the  city  full  power  and 
authority  to  fix  and  determine  a reasonable  rate  both  for 
gas  and  electricity,  and  to  provide  and  enforce  fines  for 
the  violation  thereof. 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


2.  A Public  Utilities  Commission,  composed  of  competent 
and  trustworthy  business  and  technical  men,  should  be 
provided  immediately  by  ordinance,  with  such  powers  as 
are  prescribed  by  the  Enabling  Act. 

VI.  Payment  for  electricity  and  gas  should  be  based  upon  metered 
service — the  maximum  cost  per  lamp  per  year  being  fixed  by 
ordinance. 

VII.  No  contract  should  be  made  for  gas  or  electric  lighting  covering  a 
long  period  of  years,  and  it  should  contain  provisions  for  frequent 
readjustment  of  rates  and  a clause  enabling  the  city,  at  intervals,  to 
require  the  substitution  of  new  and  more  efficient  styles  of  lamps. 
Only  in  this  way  can  the  public  reap  the  advantage  of  the  rapid 
reduction  being  made  in  the  cost  of  gas  and  electric  light  as  a result 
of  new  inventions  and  improvements. 

VIII.  A uniform  system  of  efficient  and  ornamental  lighting  should  be 
established,  especially  for  the  business  streets,  of  the  city. 

(a)  In  the  business  partion  electroliers  or  arc  lamps  of 
uniform  style  should  be  adopted  and  so  spaced  as  to 
brilliantly  illuminate  the  streets  by  night  and  make  them 
attractive  by  day. 

(ft)  In  the  residential  portion  it  may  be  deemed  advisable 
to  supplement  the  present  gas  lights  with  arc  lights  at 
street  intersections  in  order  to  secure  adequate  illumination. 

IX.  In  all  of  the  conclusions  reached,  the  committee  is  unanimously  of 
the  opinion  that  a definite  and  reasonable  regulation  and  control  of 
prices  and  service,  determined  by  a Public  Utilities  Commission,  per- 
manently established  by  ordinance  under  recent  statute,  is  funda- 
mentally essential. 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


9 


History  of  Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis 

Public  lighting  of  the  streets  of  Saint  Louis  begins  with  the  year 
1836,  when  Ordinance  No.  306  was  passed  authorizing  the  Mayor  to 
contract  with  the  Saint  Louis  Gas  Work  Company  for  lighting  the 
city  under  an  exclusive  contract,  for  a term  of  twenty-five  years.  The 
illuminant  was  specified  to  be  carburetted  hydrogen  gas,  the  city  obli- 
gating itself  to  furnish  “as  much  water  from  the  water  works  of  the 
city  as  shall  be  necessary  for  carrying  on  the  operations  of  generating 
and  purifying  the  gas  * * * * providing  that  the  quantity  of 
water  to  be  thus  taken  shall  not  exceed  one  hundred  gallons  a day.’’ 
The  city  agreed  to  pay  the  Saint  Louis  Gas  Work  Company  “one  cent 
for  each  cubic  foot  of  gas  consumed  by  the  street  lamps  of  the  city,” 
and  gas  mains  and  lights  were  required  to  be  installed  on  Water  and 
First  Streets  before  November  first,  1836.  The  city  retained  the  right 
to  purchase  the  gas  plant  at  the  end  of  the  twenty-five  years  under  a 
fixed  arrangement;  failing  which,  the  exclusive  privilege  of  the  com- 
pany was  to  be  extended  an  additional  twenty-five  years. 

Many  Ordinances  Passed 

In  the  succeeding  seventy  years,  more  than  one  hundred  ordinances, 
dealing  with  the  lighting  of  streets,  have  been  passed,  the  earlier  ones 
relating  only  to  the  company  already  mentioned,  but  under  its  usual 
designation  of  “The  Saint  Louis  Gas  Light  Company;”  and  later  ordi- 
nances were  passed  concerning  other  companies  that  entered  the  field 
as  the  exclusive  privilege  became  forfeited,  as  the  city  extended  its 
limits  or  as  the  franchise  lapsed. 

In  1841,  the  city  of  Saint  Louis  became  a stock  holder  in  the 
Saint  Louis  Gas  Light  Company  to  the  extent  of  five  hundred  shares, 
the  ordinance  requiring  this  action  being  passed  over  the  Mayor’s 
veto.  This  city  ownership  of  stock  continued  for  nearly  fifty  years; 
for,  in  1889,  the  Municipal  Assembly  authorized  and  directed  the  sale 
of  “one  hundred  and  ninety-nine  shares  of  the  capital  stock  of  the 
Saint  Louis  Gas  Light  Company  at  a sum  not  less  than  four  hundred 
dollars  per  share.”  In  1841  the  streets  were  lighted  as  far  west  as 
Seventh  Street,  and  in  1850,  as  far  as  Sixteenth  Street. 

Serious  attempts  were  made  to  purchase  the  property  of  the  com- 
pany mentioned,  particularly  in  1864.  On  June  25th  of  that  year  an 
ordinance  directed  the  Mayor  to  notify  the  Saint  Louis  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany that  it  was  the  intention  to  purchase  its  property  at  the  expira- 
tion of  the  specified  twenty-five  years.  After  official  consideration  of 
the  proposition  for  a number  of  weeks,  during  which  the  City  Assembly 
seemed  to  favor  the  purchase  and  the  executive  department  to  oppose 


10 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


it  (the  City  Counsellor  meanwhile  giving  his  opinion  that,  under  com- 
plications that  had  arisen,  the  purchase  could  not  be  legally  effected), 
the  matter  was  finally  settled  adversely  by  the  Mayor  vetoing  an  ordi- 
nance providing  definitely  for  such  purchase. 

In  1865,  the  city  contracted  with  the  Saint  Louis  Gas  Lighting 
Company  to  light  the  streets  of  the  city  at  “actual  cost  thereof,”  the 
cost  to  include  “dividends  not  exceeding  eight  per  cent  per  annum” 
and  all  expense  of  operation,  repairs  and  extension,  except  the  cost  of 
new  mains  or  lamps,  which  were  made  special  assessments  upon  property 
fronting  upon  the  proposed  improvement.  This  contract  was  to  expire 
in  1890,  and  was  affected  in  some  of  its  provisions  by  statutes  involving 
a considerable  measure  of  state  supervision. 

In  1866,  a city  gas  inspector  was  authorized  at  a salary  of  $2000 
per  annum,  and  fees,  out  of  which  he  was  to  pay  all  the  expenses  of 
his  office.  Among  his  duties  was  the  inspection  and  reading  of  gas 
meters;  meters  lacking  such  seal  allowed  the  householder  to  avoid  all 
payment  for  gas  consumed.  In  1870,  the  salary  was  reduced  to  $300 
per  annum,  the  fee  of  fifty  cents  for  inspection  of  gas  or  apparatus  under 
mistaken  complaint  still  remaining  in  force.  In  1873,  this  salary  was 
again  changed,  this  time  to  $3000  per  annum,  without  fees.  In  1889, 
Ordinance  No.  15105  authorized  a Supervisor  of  City  Lighting,  at  a salary 
of  $2500  per  annum,  with  a clerk  and  inspectors  at  a salary  of  $1200 
per  year,  each. 

Territory  Divided  Between  Two  Companies 

In  1873,  a contract  was  made  with  the  Laclede  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany, the  Saint  Louis  Gas  Light  Company  assenting,  to  engage  in  the 
making  and  selling  of  gas  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  northward 
from  the  buildings  fronting  on  the  southern  line  of  Washington  Avenue 
to  the  extreme  limits  of  the  city.  This  contract  was  to  expire  in  1890, 
and  the  company  was  to  receive  $30.00  per  lamp  per  annum  for  gas 
for  lighting  the  streets  and  $7.00  each  additional  for  cleaning,  lighting, 
extinguishing,  and  keeping  the  street  lamps  in  repair;  and  $3.25  per 
thousand  cubic  feet  from  private  consumers,  with  reduction  in  price 
to  $3.10  per  thousand  if  the  price  of  coal  for  making  gas  should  be 
reduced  from  thirty  cents  to  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel;  if  the  price 
of  coal  should  become  twenty  cents  per  bushel,  the  maximum  charge 
to  private  consumers  was  to  be  $3.00  per  thousand  cubic  feet. 

Under  ordinances  passed  in  1874  and  1875,  the  city  contracted  with 
the  Carondelet  Gas  Light  Company  “for  the  lighting  of  the  southern 
portion  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis,”  at  the  rates  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding paragraph.  The  territory  affected  by  this  contract  was  in  the 
extended  city  limits,  south  of  Keokuk  Street. 

Gasoline  for  Street  Lighting 

In  1880,  the  city  began  the  lighting,  by  gasoline  lamps  under  direct 
control  of  the  Board  of  Public  Improvements,  of  relatively  small  outly- 
ing areas  of  new  territory,  added  by  the  extension  of  the  city  limits, 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


11 


where  contract  lighting  did  not  extend.  In  1882,  a contract  was  made 
with  the  Ohio  Valley  Street  Lighting  Company  of  Cincinnati  to  light 
with  gasoline  the  greater  part  of  this  extended  western  territory  of 
the  city.  This  contract  was  to  be  in  force  for  five  years,  but  was  amended 
in  1884  to  expire  in  1890,  as  was  the  case  with  all  the  street  lighting 
contracts  then  in  force.  The  price  fixed  upon  was  $28.00  per  lamp  per 
year,  and  the  contracting  company  agreed  to  pay  the  city  $6.00  per 
lamp  for  the  posts,  burners,  etc.,  that  had  been  erected  by  the  city 
in  the  territory  to  be  occupied  by  this  company. 

In  1886,  an  ordinance  became  a law  granting  to  the  Saint  Louis 
Gas  Light  Company  until  the  year  1920  privileges  of  laying  and  main- 
taining gas  pipes  and  mains,  etc.,  from  Keokuk  Street  to  Washington 
Avenue,  and  from  the  Mississippi  River  to  the  western  limits  of  the 
city.  The  exclusive  and  valuable  privileges  granted  to  the  same  com- 
pany by  the  ordinance  of  1873  were  to  definitely  and  specifically  termi- 
nate January  1,  1890.  The  price  to  private  consumers  was  to  be  not 
more  than  $1.25  per  thousand  cubic  feet  furnished,  and  if  required 
it  agreed  to  light  the  streets  in  its  territory  at  an  annual  cost  to  the 
city  of  $20.00  per  lamp.  In  the  same  year,  a similar  ordinance  cov- 
ering the  whole  area  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis  was  passed  in  favor  of 
the  Saint  Louis  Gas,  Fuel  and  Power  Company,  also  permitting  sale 
of  its  contract  privileges. 


Municipal  Lighting  Considered 

In  1888,  the  second  serious  consideration  of  the  advisability  of  direct 
municipal  lighting  of  the  city  streets  was  authorized  by  Ordinance 
No.  14604,  which  provided  for  a commission  to  negotiate  a lease  of  the 
Laclede  Gas  Light  Company  and  the  Saint  Louis  Gas  Light  Company. 
No  definite  results  followed  this  movement,  for  there  seems  to  have 
been  repeated  the  division  of  opinion  upon  the  advisability  of  the  propo- 
sition that  characterized  the  question  a quarter  of  a century  before. 
After  five  months  of  controversy  over  the  proposition,  the  commission 
reported  that,  before  making  any  recommendation,  “it  is  essential  that 
the  opinion  of  the  Municipal  Assembly  shall  be  taken  on  the  main 
proposition,  namely,  is  it  desirable  that  the  city  of  Saint  Louis  shall 
enter  on  the  business  of  manufacturing  and  selling  gas  for  illuminating, 
heat  and  power  purposes  on  and  after  January  1,  1890,  provided  satis- 
factory terms  for  the  acquisition  of  the  gas  property  can  be  made.” 
This  report  was  referred  to  another  committee;  and  after  various  vicis- 
situdes the  project  slept. 

Lighting  by  Electricity 

In  1890,  the  lighting  of  the  streets  by  electricity  was  begun.  The 
number  of  lights  in  operation,  during  the  year  previous  for  the  light- 
ing of  the  city  streets,  was  as  follows: 


12 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


Gas  lamps  of  the  Laclede  Gas  Light  Co 8,018 

Gas  lamps  of  the  Carondelet  Gas  Light  Co 691 

Gasoline  lamps , 933 


9,642 

The  disappearance  of  the  Saint  Louis  Gas  Light  Company  from  the 
table  above  is  explained  by  its  absorption  by  the  Laclede  Company. 

The  gas  lighting  contracts  of  the  city  expired  January  1,  1890; 
as  new  contracts  had  not  been  made  for  the  lighting  of  the  streets 
the  old  rates  for  gas  lamps  were  continued  temporarily.  The  lighting 
of  the  northern  part  of  the  city  was  contracted  for  by  the  Laclede  Gas 
Light  Company,  and  that  of  the  southern  section  of  the  city  by  the 
Missouri  (later  the  Missouri  Edison)  Electric  Light  and  Power  Com- 
pany, both  contracts  to  expire  January  1,  1900.  Under  these  contracts, 
the  streets  were  lighted  by  arc  lights  and  the  alleys  by  incandescent  elec- 
tric lights. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  above  contracts,  the  usual  failure  to  have 
lighting  of  the  streets  adequately  considered  in  its  various  aspects,  in 
time  for  carrying  into  effect  such  conclusions  as  might  be  reached,  was 
again  encountered;  in  fact  the  situation  was  so  serious  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  city  was  in  darkness  for  more  than  a month.  The  street 
lighting  contracts  expired  on  January  1st,  1900,  and  consequently  on 
Monday  night  all  alleys,  parks  and  public  buildings  from  Washington 
Avenue  to  Keokuk  Street,  and  from  the  river  to  the  western  limits 
of  the  city,  were  in  darkness  except  for  the  Insane  Asylum,  the  Super- 
intendent of  which  paid  $75.00  out  of  his  own  pocket  for  a continuance 
of  its  lighting  for  one  week.  The  other  city  institutions  made  use  of 
candles,  coal  oil  lamps,  lanterns,  etc.,  for  illuminating  purposes.  On 
January  3d,  a public-spirited  citizen  agreed  to  pay  the  cost  of  the 
electric  lighting  of  the  City  Hospital;  and  later,  others  responded  in  a 
similar  way.  On  January  4th,  a fire  was  caused  in  Engine  House  No.  6, 
by  an  accident  to  an  oil  lamp.  The  fact  that  the  streets  still  were 
lighted  by  arc  lights  was  due  to  a ruling  of  the  City  Counsellor  that 
that  particular  contract  did  not  expire  until  April  30,  1900.  A daily 
paper  on  January  2,  1900,  contains  the  following: 

“The  Municipal  Assembly  and  the  Mayor,  which  alone  have  the 
power  under  the  City  Charter  to  avert  the  crisis  that  has  come  upon 
Saint  Louis,  have  known  for  the  full  term  of  their  offices  that  the  time 
of  the  expiration  of  the  electric  lighting  contracts  was  approaching, 
yet  they  have  taken  no  action  toward  averting  it.  * * * * In 
nearly  half  of  the  city  the  public  buildings  are  practically  in  dark- 
ness, the  alleys  are  in  complete  darkness  and  are  rendezvous  that 

thieves  and  thugs  can  safely  seek;  the  parks  are  in  total  dark- 
ness. * * * * The  fire  engine  houses  are  in  at  least  partial 

darkness,  and  to  that  extent  the  efficiency  of  the  department  on 
which  depends  the  safety  of  millions  of  dollars’  worth  of  property 
is  impaired;  the  eleemosynary  institutions  are  forced  to  the  use 

of  candles  and  coal  oil  lamps.  * * * * There  is  no  par- 

ticular reason  for  the  incandescent  lighting  in  the  district  north  of 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


13 


Washington  Avenue,  except  that  the  Laclede  Gas  Light  Company,  which 
holds  the  contract,  decided  to  continue  the  service,  and  run  the  risk 
of  getting  paid  for  it.” 

Serious  Delay  in  Passing  Ordinances 

The  facts  seem  to  be  that,  not  only  were  general  street  lighting 
ordinances  delayed  until  too  late,  but  special  (temporary)  lighting  bills 
sent  to  the  City  Assembly  by  the  Board  of  Public  Improvements,  to 
prevent  the  impending  danger  of  darkness,  remained  in  the  Assembly 
from  November  17,  1899,  to  January  5,  1900,  before  securing  action;  on 
the  latter  date  they  were  killed  by  adverse  vote.  These  rejected  bills 
provided  for  a short  time  continuance  of  the  previous  contracts  at  pre- 
vious rates. 

On  January  7th,  three  new  temporary  lighting  bills,  of  similar  im- 
port to  those  rejected,  were  introduced.  Daily  mass-meetings  of  citizens 
were  held,  increasing  in  fervor,  and  plans  were  adopted  to  make  very 
plain  the  attitude  and  opinion  of  the  citizens  concerning  the  conditions 
•existing  at  the  time.  On  January  16th,  the  greatly  desired  temporary 
lighting  bills  were  passed  and  signed  by  the  Mayor.  Bids  were  then 
asked  for,  and  finally,  on  February  2nd,  contracts  were  signed  for  again 
lighting  the  city  until  September  1,  1900;  and  the  lights  were  turned 
on  that  evening. 

Present  Contracts  Expire  in  1910 

The  present  contracts  provide  for  the  electric  lighting  of  the  central 
portion  of  the  city  by  the  Union  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company, 
and  the  lighting  of  the  remainder  of  the  streets  by  incandescent  gas 
mantles  by  the  Welsbach  Street  Lighting  Company  of  America,  as 
authorized  by  Ordinances,  Nos.  19892,  19913  and  19915.  These  con- 
tracts will  expire  September  1,  1910.  In  April,  1907,  there  were  in 
use  for  the  contract  lighting  1082  arc  lamps,  costing  the  city  about 
$97.50  per  lamp  per  year;  4538  incandescent  lamps,  costing  about  $19.65 
each,  per  year;  and  17079  (gas)  mantle  lamps,  costing  the  city  nearly 
$27.00  per  lamp  per  year.  The  Laclede  Gas  Light  Company  and 
the  Union  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company  are  the  only  private 
corporations  at  present  extensively  furnishing  gas  or  electricity  in 
Saint  Louis  for  public  or  private  use;  and  these  two  companies  are 
practically  one  and  the  same — the  stock  in  both  being  controlled  by 
the  same  stockholders. 

This  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  street  lighting  in  St.  Louis  is 
given  to  show  that  the  problem  is  growing  more  and  more  complicated 
as  the  city  expands,  and  that  every  effort  should  be  made  to  determine 
definitely  months  in  advance  of  the  expiration  of  present  contracts, 
what  policy  the  city  will  adopt  for  the  future — whether  the  city  will 
do  its  own  lighting  or  whether  it  should  continue  for  the  present,  at 
least,  to  light  the  streets  and  public  buildings  by  contract. 


14 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


Ownership  and  Operation  of  Lighting  Plant 

(Private  or  Municipal.) 

In  the  examination  of  the  best  method  of  lighting  to  be  adopted 
by  the  city  of  St.  Louis  the  first  question  to  be  determined  is,  shall 
the  city  construct  and  operate  its  own  plant  or  shall  the  work  be  done 
under  contract  by  a private  company.  Certain  well  established  facts 
as  to  the  nature  of  the  work  must  be  kept  in  mind  in  the  consideration 
of  this  question. 

Street  Lighting  a Natural  Monopoly 

I.  Street  lighting  is  a municipal  function  of  a distinctly  public 
character.  It  is  not  one  which  can  be  left  to  the  whims  of  the  indi- 
vidual citizens  nor  to  the  business  acumen  of  lighting  corporations.  The 
use  of  the  streets  for  wires,  poles  and  conduits;  the  interference  of 
these  wires  with  the  work  of  the  fire  department;  the  necessity  of  some 
uniformity  in  the  style  of  lamp  posts  and  fixtures,  and  also  in  the 
kind  and  amount  of  lighting,  makes  it  an  undertaking  which  the 
municipality  itself  must  either  perform  or  regulate  and  control. 

II.  Street  lighting,  cannot,  in  the  long  run,  be  secured  at  a mini- 
mum cost  to  the  city,  by  competition.  The  division  of  the  work  between 
two  or  more  companies  means  a duplication  of  equipment  and  invest- 
ment, a corresponding  increase  in  maintenance  charges  which  ren- 
ders it  economically  wasteful;  and  economic  waste  means  higher  charges 
for  light.  Economy  in  lighting  is  increased  not  by  competition  and 
division,  but  by  cooperation  and  concentration.  Competition  may,  as 
a corrective  measure,  secure  the  reduction  of  an  exorbitant  price  to  a 
reasonable  one,  temporarily;  but  the  economic  waste  involved  in  the 
duplication  of  the  plant  will  inevitably  bring  the  total  cost,  for  a period 
of  years,  to  a figure  higher  than  is  necessary,  in  order  to  repay  the 
extra  outlay  for  duplication.  The  history  of  competing  gas  and  electric 
public  service  corporations  in  this  city,  as  well  as  in  all  other  cities, 
goes  to  show  that  gradually  they  have  become  merged  into  one  for  the 
simple  reason  that  public  lighting  is  a form  of  service  which  will  not 
admit  of  competition. 

Where,  however,  regulation  of  rates,  to  prevent  extortionate  charges, 
is  available,  through  a Public  Utilities  Commission,  it  surely  is  wise 
thus  to  secure  reasonable  rates,  rather  than  to  subject  a city  to  losses 
and  inconveniences  involved  in  duplicating  plants.  An  apparent  ex- 
ception to  this  principle  occurs  when  the  competition  involves  some 
principle  so  relatively  novel  as  to  be  practically  revolutionary  in  char- 
acter. For  example,  if  it  proves  feasible  to  bring  natural  gas  to  the 
city,  its  cost  for  illuminating  the  residential  portion  of  the  city  may 
be  so  much  less  than  the  cost  of  producing  artificial  gas  for  this  pur- 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


15 


pose  that  a competitive  franchise  of  this  character  may  be  a very  wise 
procedure,  both  in  the  interest  of  street  lighting  and  of  the  private 
use  of  gas. 

III.  Street  lighting,  both  gas  and  electricity,  are  subject  to  the 
law  of  increasing  returns:  i.  e.,  every  expansion  of  the  plant  and  its 
equipment  and  every  increase  in  the  demand  for  service  means  a de- 
crease in  the  cost  of  production.  Hence,  one  source  of  supply  and  one 
system  of  distribution  means  a minimum  cost  of  light  to  the  con- 
sumer. 

These  generally  accepted  principles  as  to  the  nature  of  the  under- 
taking make  it  clear  that  the  functions  of  street  lighting  is  non-com- 
petitive in  character,  and  one  which  the  municipal  government  itself 
must  either  perform  or  carefully  regulate  and  control. 

Advantages  and  Disadvantages  of  Municipal  Ownership 

The  question  of  the  advisability  of  installing  a municipal  lighting 
plant  is  a complex  one.  In  a general  way  the  arguments  for  and 
against  the  public  ownership  and  operation  of  public  utilities  apply  to 
the  case  in  question.  Earnest  advocates  of  such  ownership  have  many 
arguments  and  examples  with  which  to  fortify  their  position;  and  op- 
ponents of  public  ownership  also  strongly  maintain  their  convictions 
by  forceful  reasoning  and  pertinent  example. 

The  advocates  of  municipal  ownership  and  operation  of  public  light- 
ing advance  three  main  arguments  to  prove  their  case,  namely: 

a.  Municipal  ownership  and  operation  will  remove  from  the  field 
of  municipal  politics  the  corrupt  influence  of  a franchise  holding  cor- 
poration. 

b.  It  will  expand  the  civic  conscience  and  increase  the  interest  of 
the  citizens  in  municipal  affairs. 

c.  It  will  reduce  the  cost  of  the  service  and  at  the  same  time  in- 
crease its  quality. 

No  Advantages  Politically 

Politically  considered,  there  is  no  advantage  in  municipal  owner- 
ship. Its  disadvantages  may  amount  to  nothing,  or  may  be  considerable, 
or  even  very  serious.  These  dangers  are  of  two  kinds:  that  of  the  cor- 
ruption of  the  management  of  such  a public  utility  to  the  extent  of  a 
partial  or  complete  control  of  the  votes  of  employes;  or  that  of  external 
pressure  on  the  management  by  influential  politicians,  such  as  inducing' 
the  appointment  of  their  adherents  to  comfortable  berths  or  (as  stated 
to  have  occurred  in  the  Philadelphia  Gas  case),  refusing  as  members  of 
the  city  council  to  appropriate  funds  for  necessary  repairs  and  improve- 
ments for  the  apparent  purpose  of  securing  a lease  of  the  discredited 
works  for  themselves  or  friends.  So  strongly  does  the  danger  of  such 
possible  results  appeal  to  some  that  they  consider  them  fatal. 

If  the  political  advantages  of  municipal  ownership  are  at  best  nega- 
tive and  the  dangers  are  sometimes  very  positive  and  serious,  it  is 


16 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


also  equally  evident  that  the  alternative,  that  is,  private  ownership  of 
public  utilities,  does  not  at  all  insure  the  political  integrity  of  public 
officials;  it  merely  changes  the  lines  of  attack  from  the  administrative 
officials  of  the  municipal  plant  to  legislative  officials  in  whose  hands 
is  the  power  of  voting  franchises  or  privileges,  or  imposing  restrictions 
and  penalties.  Rather  is  there  a greater  danger  of  periodic  bargaining 
and  bribery  which,  though  probably  more  easily  detected  and  punished, 
is  so  insidious  and  radical  in  its  deplorable  effects  on  republican  insti- 
tutions that  many  consider  them  really  “destructive  of  political  purity, 
democracy,  and  free  institutions.”  The  possible  danger  of  control  of 
votes  for  a party  in  power  is  greater  in  the  municipally  owned  plant, 
but  the  safeguarding  of  the  integrity  of  public  officers  can  claim  no  de- 
cided advantage  for  either  system  Ox  ownership.  However,  it  would 
appear  that  the  essence  of  the  discussion  on  this  point  would  reduce 
itself  to  the  question  whether  the  public  can,  in  the  long  run,  more 
safely  trust  to  the  fidelity  of  the  executive  officers  of  the  municipal 
plant,  or  to  that  of  its  legislative  officers  concerned  with  legislation 
affecting  the  private  corporation.  In  either  case  integrity  must  exist. 

Every  one  must  admit  that  there  is  a certain  civic  interest  created 
and  developed  where  a city  owns  and  operates  successfully  one  or  more 
of  its  own  public  utilities.  This  results  more  particularly  from  the 
successful  operation  of  such  utilities  as  the  street  railways,  water 
supply  and  gas  supply,  those  which  affect  intimately  the  daily  comfort 
and  convenience  of  the  inhabitants.  The  citizen  is  constantly  reminded 
of  the  advantages  which  come  from  their  proper  management,  but  with 
street  lighting,  important  as  it  is  to  the  social  and  economic  welfare  of 
the  city,  he  is  reminded  of  its  importance  only  when  he  finds  himself 
in  darkness  or  unprotected  from  the  attacks  of  street  ruffians.  In 
the  recent  investigations  of  the  National  Civic  Federation  into  the 
ownership  and  operation  of  the  electric  lighting  plants  in  American  and 
European  cities,  the  committee  found  in  Chicago  and  Detroit,  the  only 
large  cities  which  own  and  operate  their  own  lighting  plants,  that  the 
interest  is  at  best  only  passive  and  the  attitudes  of  the  public  press  is 
one  of  indifference. 

Civic  Interest  Depends  Upon  Successful  Operation 

The  arousing  of  a healthy  civic  interest  through  the  operation  of 
public  utilities  is  wholly  dependent  upon  the  successful  operation  of  the 
utility  in  question.  This  presupposes  an  already  existing  interest  on 
the  part  of  the  citizens  sufficient  to  insure  at  least  a safe  and  business- 
like control  of  the  municipal  plant;  which  means  the  appointment  of 
employees  who  can  and  will  operate  it  with  approximately  the  same  de- 
gree of  care  and  skill  as  if  it  belonged  to  a private  company.  This 
interest  is  usually  present  in  the  municipal  operation  of  those  utilities 
which  affect  primarily  the  public  health  but,  as  has  been  pointed  out, 
public  lighting  does  not  fall  in  this  group  of  utilities.  Hence,  men 
are  likely  to  be  appointed  to  office  because  of  their  political  affiliations 
and  with  little  thought  as  to  their  skill  and  training  in  this  particular 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


17 


field  of  work.  The  successful  operation  of  a lighting  plant  requires 
men  with  more  than  usual  technical  skill  and  training.  Such  men 
are  not,  as  a rule,  secured  for  municipal  work  because  of  the  political 
influences  at  work  and  because  the  salaries  are  usually  so  low  that 
they  furnish  no  inducement  to  highly  trained  men  to  leave  the  em- 
ployment of  private  companies  in  order  to  enter  the  uncertain  field  of 
municipal  public  service. 

Opinion  of  an  Unprejudiced  Committee. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  of  the  National  Civic  Federation  on 
the  ownership  and  operation  of  public  utilities  in  American  and  English 
cities,  the  most  representative  and  conclusive  report  on  this  subject 
yet  published,  says  on  this  point: 

“Our  investigations  teach  us  that  no  municipal  operation  is  likely 
to  be  highly  successful  that  does  not  provide  for: 

First — An  executive  manager  with  full  responsibility,  holding  his 
position  during  good  behavior. 

Second — Exclusion  of  political  influence  and  personal  favoritism  from 
the  management  of  the  undertaking.” 

“We  wish  to  bring  to  your  consideration  the  danger  here  in  the 
United  States  of  turning  over  these  public  utilities  to  the  present  gov- 
ernment of  some  of  our  cities.  Some,  we  know,  are  well  governed  and 
the  situation  on  the  whole  seems  to  be  improving,  but  they  are  not  up 
to  the  government  of  British  cities.  We  found  in  England  and  Scot- 
land a high  type  of  municipal  government  which  is  the  result  of  many 
years  of  struggle  and  improvement.  Business  men  seem  to  take  a pride 
in  serving  as  city  councilors  and  aldermen,  and  the  government  of 
such  cities  as  Glasgow,  Manchester,  Birmingham  and  others  includes 
many  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  city.  These  conditions  are  distinctly 
favorable  to  municipal  operation.” 

“In  the  United  States,  as  is  well  known,  there  are  many  cities  not 
in  such  a favorable  condition.  It  is  charged  that  the  political  activity 
of  public  service  corporations  has  in  many  instances  been  responsible 
for  the  unwillingness  or  inability  of  American  cities  to  secure  a higher 
type  of  public  service.  This  charge  we  believe  to  be  true.  However, 
there  seems  to  be  an  idea  with  many  people  that  the  mere  taking  by 
the  city  of  all  its  public  utilities  for  municipal  operation  will  at  once 
result  in  ideal  government  through  the  very  necessity  of  putting  honest 
and  competent  citizens  in  charge.  While  an  increase  in  the  number 
and  importance  of  municipal  functions  may  have  a tendency  to  induce 
men  of  a higher  type  to  become  public  officials,  we  do  not  believe  this 
of  itself  will  accomplish  municipal  reform.  We  are  unable  to  recom- 
mend municipal  ownership  as  a political  panacea.” 

Will  Municipal  Ownership  Pay? 

Whatever  may  be  the  political  and  social  conditions  which  make 
municipal  ownership  doubtful,  the  decisive  consideration  is  the  economic 
one — “Will  municipal  lighting  pay?”  Under  proper  regulation  and  em- 


18 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


ploying  correct  details,  that  kind  of  ownership  of  a public  service  is  best 
for  a city  which  gives  it  the  better  service  for  the  same  cost,  or  an 
equal  service  at  a lesser  cost.  We  are  confronted  at  once  with  the 
fact  that  of  the  first  fifteen  cities  in  the  United  States  only  two  have 
tried  the  experiment  of  municipal  ownership  and  operation  of  street 
lighting,  and  this  has  been  confined  to  electricity.  The  two  cities  are 
Chicago  and  Detroit. 

A number  of  cities  of  less  than  50,000  inhabitants  have  experimented 
more  or  less  successfully  with  municipal  lighting,  but  the  conditions 
in  a city  of  50,000  people  are  so  totally  different  from  those  of  a city  of 
500,000  or  700,000  that  any  attempt  to  determine  policies  for  a large 
city  on  the  experiences  of  cities  of  less  than  one-tenth  its  population 
is  certain  to  prove  futile.  Smaller  cities  can  more  logically  undertake 
municipal  ownership  of  lighting  plants  because  the  people  are  in  closer 
touch  with  the  government  of  the  city  and  the  officials  are  known  to 
every  one;  while  in  a larger  city  not  only  do  the  people  not  come  in 
contact  with  the  officials,  but  the  question  of  lighting  is  so  big  and  so 
complicated  that  the  average  citizen  finds  it  almost  impossible  to  gain  an 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  facts  and  conditions. 

British  Experience  No  Criterion 

Reference  is  made  repeatedly  to  the  successful  financial  experience 
of  British  cities  in  the  municipal  ownership  and  operation  of  street 
lighting  plants.  Sixty-five  per  cent  of  the  British  cities  are  performing 
this  service  economically  and  satisfactorily  and  the  reports  show  that, 
on  the  whole,  these  cities  are  not  only  getting  better  service  for  a less 
cost,  but  the  condition  of  the  laborers,  both  as  regards  salaries  and 
hours,  is  better  than  in  plants  owned  and  operated  by  private  corpora- 
tions. But,  as  has  been  pointed  out,  we  can  not  with  any  degree  of  fair- 
ness or  accuracy  use  the  successful  experience  of  English  cities  for 
examples  of  what  American  cities  can  do  in  substituting  municipal  own- 
ership for  private  ownership.  The  political  and  social  conditions  and 
the  municipal  ideals  of  those  cities  are  so  radically  different  from 
our  own  that  tables  of  comparative  statistics  would  be  wholly  un- 
reliable as  furnishing  a basis  for  a similar  policy  in  this  city.  The 
National  Civic  Federation  report  says  further  on  this  point: 

“Finally,  not  only  must  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  social  and 
political  conditions  which  characterize  the  two  countries  (England  and 
the  United  States)  find  expression  in  their  private  and  public  systems, 
but  we  consider  the  difference  in  the  nature  of  the  two  peoples  which 
cause  them  to  adopt  different  ideas  and  views  as  to  the  expediency  of 
certain  things.  In  other  words  a measure  of  success  in  the  municipal 
management  of  public  utilities  in  England  should  not  he  regarded  as 
necessarily  indicating  that  the  municipal  management  of  the  same  utili- 
ties in  this  country  would  he  followed  by  a like  measure  of  success. 
Conditions  are  quite  different  in  the  two  countries.” 

It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  for  purposes  of  comparison  we  must 
be  limited  to  the  experience  of  the  two  cities  in  this  country,  Chicago 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


19 


and  Detroit,  which  have  adopted  the  policy  of  municipal  ownership  and 
operation  of  electric  lighting  plants. 

Here,  again,  we  are  confronted  with  the  difficulty  of  getting  at  the 
real  gross  cost  to  these  cities  for  the  service.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
annual  reports  from  the  officers  in  charge  of  these  plants  are  supposed 
to  state  cold  facts  and  give  every  detail  of  expense  connected  with  the 
operation  of  the  plants,  a careful  examination  of  the  books  and  accounts 
by  expert  accountants  show  that  these  officers  are  advocates  of  a cause 
rather  than  disinterested  compilers  of  statistics.  Fortunately,  however, 
we  are  not  compelled  to  rely  upon  the  figures  as  given  by  these  officials, 
but  can  go  directly  to  the  reports  of  the  public  accountants. 

Items  of  Cost  to  be  Included 

The  chief  items  which  should  be  included  in  any  true  estimate  of 
the  gross  cost  of  supplying  lights  to  a city  are  as  follows: 

I.  Operating  Cost. — This  covers  not  only  the  cost  of  generation  but 
of  distribution,  and  includes  such  items  as  fuel,  water,  oil,  wages,  salaries, 
rent,  maintenance,  repairs,  etc.  Salaries  should  include  a proportionate 
share  of  the  expense  of  whatever  departments  of  the  city  government 
are  charged  with  any  portion  of  the  management  of  the  plant.  If  the 
accounts  are  kept  by  the  Comptroller’s  department,  then  a fair  pro- 
portion of  the  expense  of  that  office  should  be  charged  to  operating  ex- 
penses. If  the  plant  occupies  a part  of  a public  building  used  for  other 
purposes,  then  a fair  proportion  of  the  rent  of  that  building  should  be 
charged  to  operating  expenses.  In  short,  whatever  supplies  or  services 
the  electric  plant  received  from  any  other  department  of  the  city  gov- 
ernment should  be  included  in  the  expense  of  operation. 

II.  Depreciation. — This  cost  must  be  considered  on  apparatus,  build- 
ing, lines,  lamps,  and  every  thing  which  has  to  do  with  the  production 
and  distribution  of  electricity,  with  the  exception  of  the  land  on  which 
the  building  is  located.  The  question  of  depreciation  is  one  on  which 
there  is  always  a great  variety  of  opinions.  If  it  were  merely  the 
question  of  duplicating  worn  out  machinery  the  percentage  of  depre- 
ciation could  easily  be  estimated,  but  in  the  electrical  business  it  is 
not  the  simple  wearing  out  of  the  machinery  that  causes  depreciation. 
It  is  the  progress  of  the  art  of  electric  lighting  and  the  rapid  changes 
which  are  constantly  being  made  in  electrical  devices  and  equipment. 
So  rapid  has  this  progress  been  that  what  was  modern  equipment  ten 
years  ago  is  now  largely  scrap.  Scarcely  a piece  of  machinery  ten  years 
old  but  what  must  be  discarded  in  favor  of  a more  efficient  and  economical 
substitute. 

III.  Interest  on  the  Investment. — This  should  be  estimated  on  the 
basis  of  the  average  rate  of  interest  paid  on  the  bonds  of  the  city. 

IV.  Sinking  Fund. — The  portion  of  revenue  set  aside  each  year  to 
retire  the  bonds  issued  to  build  or  purchase  the  plant. 


20 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


V.  Taxes. — An  amount  equivalent  to  the  sum  which  the  city  loses, 
if  it,  instead  of  the  private  company,  owns  and  operates  the  plant. 

VI.  Insurance. — An  annual  premium  on  an  amount  sufficient  to  re- 
place the  plant  were  it  destroyed  by  fire. 

These  items  have  all  been  included  in  the  recent  report  of  the 
National  Civic  Federation  in  its  exhaustive  investigation  of  the  De- 
troit and  Chicago  plants.  The  report  of  Marwick,  Mitchell  & Co.,  char- 
tered accountants,  who  were  employed  to  make  the  investigation  into 
the  financial  affairs  of  the  electric  light  plants  can,  we  think,  be  accepted 
as  the  most  trustworthy  report  yet  issued  on  the  actual  cost  to  these 
cities  of  the  lighting  of  their  streets. 


Chicago 

A condensed  summary  of  their  report  on  Chicago  is  herewith  at- 
tached : 

CHICAGO  MUNICIPAL  ELECTRIC  LIGHT  WORKS. 

I.  A summary  of  expenditures  to  December  31,  1905,  including  cost 
of  land,  construction  of  plants  and  extension  of  system: 

1.  Cost  of  construction  and  equipment  of  the  plants 

and  extension  of  the  system $2,288,665.77 

2.  Land  79,340.74 


3.  Total  capital  expenditure $2,368,006.51 

From  which  deduct:  — 

(a)  Estimated  value  of  Throop  street  plant 

and  land  sold  in  1892 $103,890.28 

(b)  Depreciation  (being  amount  necessary 

to  reduce  the  book  value  of  the  plant 
to  the  appraised  value  stated  by  en- 
gineers)   941,610.65 

(c)  Depreciation  in  value  of  land 6,798.40  $1,052,299.33 


4.  Appraised  value  as  at  Dec.  31,  1905...  $1,315,707.18 

II.  A summary  of  the  cost  of  operation  from  1888  to  December  31, 
1905,  including  taxes,  depreciation,  insurance,  water,  rent,  salaries,  wages, 
etc. 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


21 


Cost  Per  Arc  Lamp  Per  Annum 

Cost  of  Opera-  Average  Number 

tion  (Exclusive  of 

Year  of  Interest.)  Arc  Lamps. 

Exclusive 

of 

Interest. 

Including  Com- 
pound Interest  at 
4 per  cent 
per  annum  on 
Capital  Invested. 

1888 

$ 16,732.29 

192 

$ 87.15 

$101.83 

1889 

59,304.61 

297 

199.68 

238.33 

1890 

116,824.79 

900 

129.61 

155.19 

1891 

173,434.33 

993 

174.76 

207.28 

1892 

176,365.24 

1,102 

160.04 

192.17 

1893 

183,081.00 

1,112 

164.64 

196.97 

1894 

175,589.10 

1,108 

158.47 

194.06 

1905 

185,772.52 

1,116 

166.46 

205.86 

1896 

188,441.07 

1,254 

150.27 

188.39 

1897 

174,560.91 

1,438 

121.39 

156.99 

1898 

187,393.73 

1,710 

109.00 

142.76 

1899 

246,051.06 

2,893 

85.32 

109.04 

1900 

355,629.32 

3,867 

91.96 

112.53 

1901 

366,763.85 

4,305 

85.19 

101.24 

1902 

362,177.93 

4,508 

80.34 

99.28 

1903 

379,283.15 

4,827 

78.57 

98.78 

1904 

390,144.44 

5,034 

77.60 

106.45 

1905 

491,006.52 

5,743 

85.49 

100.06 

Total 

cost 

of  operation. $4, 228, 555. 86 

42,399 

$ 99.73 

$124.32 

III. 

A summary  of  the  number 

of  lamps 

rented  from  private 

corporations  from  1890  to  December 

31, 

1905,  and 

the  average  cost  per 

light. 

Year 

1890 

1891 

1892 
1898 

1894 

1895 

1896 

1897 

1898 

1899 

1900 

1901 

1902 

1903 

1904 

1905 


Average  Number 
of  Lamps. 

93 

166 

174 

184 

203 

524 

480 

492 

515 

529 

665 

671 

600 

611 

656 

643 


Average  Cost  per 
Lamp  per  annum. 

$177.95 

174.33 

174.63 

155.62 

137.38 

103.38 

113.28 
113.23 
109.10 

103.28 
102.84 
101.58 
102.66 
102.82 
102.92 
102.52 


IV.  A comparison  of  the  cost  to  the  city  by  municipal  operation 
and  the  cost  if  all  the  lamps  had  been  rented  from  a private  corporation 
under  the  rates  at  which  a portion  were  rented: 


22 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


Cost  of  construction 

Cost  of  Operation  (1888-1905) 

Amount  with 
Simple  Interest, 

4 per  cent. 

$2,264,116.23 

4,228,555.86 

Amount  with 
Compouud 
Interest. 

$2,264,116.23 

4,228,555.86 

Total  

Less  depreciation  of  plant 

$6,492,672.09 

941,610.65 

$6,492,672.09 

941,610.65 

Interest  on  cost  of  construction  and  operation, 

less  depreciation  $1,635,480.27 

$2,034,008.52 

Less  appraised  value  of  plant,  Dec., 

$7,186,541.81 
’05 1,315,707.18 

$7,585,069.96 

1,315,707.18 

Total  cost  of  municipal  operation- 
Dec.  31,  1905 

-1888— 

$5,870,834.63 

$6,269,362.78 

Probable  cost  if  rented  (based  on  the  average 
cost  per  lamp  paid  in  the  past  for  rented 

lights)  $4,744,550.20 

Interest  thereon  1,133,299.18 

Total  cost  (1888 — Dec.  31,  1905)  of  lights,  if 

rented  $5,877,849.38  $6,104,440.82 

On  the  basis  of  simple  interest  the  estimated  net  saving  to  the  city 
by  operating  its  own  plant  would  be  ($5,877,849.38 — $5,870,834.63) 
$7,014.75.  On  the  basis  of  compound  interest,  the  estimated  loss  to  the 
city  by  operating  its  own  plant  would  be  ($6,269,362.78 — $6,104,440.82) 
$164,921.96,  or  stated  in  tabulated  form:  — 


$4,744,550.20 

1,359,890.62 


OPERATING  COST  WITH  SIMPLE  INTEREST  (4%) 


Gain  to  the  city $ 


Loss  to  the  city $ 164,921.96 


Total  Cost. 

$5,870,834.63 

5,877,849.38 

per  Year. 

$138.46 

138.63 

$ 7,014.75 

$ 0.17 

UND  INTEREST. 

$6,269,362.78 

$147.87 

6,104,440.82 

143.98 

$ 164,921.96 

$ 3.86 

Detroit 

The  Detroit  public  lighting  plant  was  established  in  1895  and  placed 
under  the  control  of  a non-partisan  commission  appointed  by  the  Mayor 
and  approved  by  the  Council.  A bond  issue  of  $800,000  was  authorized 
by  the  state  and  approved  by  the  people.  The  original  investment  for 
land,  building  and  equipment  was  $655,508.90.  The  records  for  the 
eleven  years,  1895-1906,  show  that  the  entire  amount  appropriated  by 
the  Council  and  paid  out  by  the  city  on  account  of  the  lighting  plant 
was  as  follows: 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


23 


Original  investment 

1895  

1896  

1897  

1898  

1899  

1900  

1901  

1902  

1903  

1904  

1905  

1906  


Total  investment 

Total,  operating  and  maintenance 


Operation. 

$ 125,603.27 

124.255.00 

121,000.00 

56.000. 00 

95.000. 00 

96.000. 00 

98.000. 00 

103.975.00 

117.917.00 
122,246.15 
121,380.41 
126,971.63 


$1,308,358.44 


$605,508.90 

Investment. 

Included  in  1897 
Included  in  1897 

$123,713.83 

60,923.00 

23,657.74 

14,284.53 

23,566.83 

80,577.37 

37,992.09 

63,903.97 

91,523.48 

66,857.24 

$587,000.08 

$1,192,508.98 

1,308,358.44 


Grand  total  paid  by  city  for  lighting $2,500,867.42 

The  accountants  for  the  National  Civic  Federation  Committee  found 
the  books  of  the  Detroit  Lighting  Commission  well  kept  and  satisfactory 
in  the  main,  but  the  following  items  were  not  included  in  the  financial 
returns  and  charged  to  operating  expense:  taxes,  insurance,  rental, 
interest  on  bonds,  sinking  fund,  and  charges  for  the  services  of  city 
officials,  other  than  those  directly  employed  in  the  lighting  department. 

Furthermore,  depreciation  was  estimated  at  only  3%,  which  the 
accountants  considered  too  low.  In  1905,  the  cost  of  operation,  accord- 
ing to  the  Detroit  Commission’s  report,  was  $121,380.41.  To  this  the 
accountants  added  taxes,  which  a private  company  would  pay,  of  $8,705, 
or  $2.51  per  arc  light,  and  depreciation  of  $42,818.72  or  $12.39  per  arc 
light,  making  a total  cost  of  operation  that  year,  aside  from  interest, 
$172,904.13.  This,  together  with  interest  on  the  entire  investment  at 
4%,  makes  a total  cost  per  arc  light,  $62.83  per  annum. 

The  Lighting  Commission  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  which  visited 
Detroit  during  the  summer  of  1907  and  investigated  the  plant  in  detail, 
reported,  in  part,  as  follows: 

“Your  Commission  formed  the  impression  that  the  Detroit  plant  is 
well  managed  and  found  evidence  that  the  service  rendered  is  satis- 
factory. Testimony  of  citizens  not  identified  with  the  management  of 
the  plant  and  our  own  observations  of  conditions  in  the  central  portion 
of  the  city  indicate  that  the  streets  of  the  city  of  Detroit  are  fairly 
well  lighted.” 

“The  report  of  the  Detroit  Public  Lighting  Commission  is  particu- 
larly complete  and  explicit,  but  there  are  certain  features  of  the  accounts, 
which,  in  the  judgment  of  your  Commission,  should  be  modified.  The 
most  important  of  these  is  the  matter  of  depreciation.  The  total  in- 
vestment for  the  entire  plant  is  given  as  $1,192,508.98.  Depreciation  for 
the  year  ending  June  30,  1906,  is  given  as  follows: 


24 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


Depreciation  on  discarded  equipment $ 9,025.25 

Depreciation  on  the  present  entire  investment  value  of  $930,557.99 

at  an  average  of  3 per  cent 27,916.74 

“The  discrepancy  between  the  total  investment  and  the  amount  on 
which  depreciation  is  charged  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1906,  is 
presumably  due  to  discarded  equipment  previously  charged  off.  It  ap- 
pears, however,  that  an  average  depreciation  of  only  3 per  centum  is 
altogether  too  low  for  such  a plant,  notwithstanding  that  land  and 
conduits  are  included  in  this  depreciation.” 

“The  following  assumed  depreciation  rates  are  believed  to  be  quite 
conservative  and  are  probably  low,  all  things  considered,  but  we  assign 


them  as  fairly  reasonable. 

The  values 

are  those  of  the 

total  invest- 

ment  to  June  30,  1906. 

Conduits  

Total 

Investment. 

$ 128,217.69 

Assumed  Rate 
Depreciation. 

2% 

Amount  of 
Depreciation 

$ 2,564.35 

Cables  

95,548.53 

5 

4,777.43 

Real  estate  (land) 

64,377.12 

0 

Building  and  wharf 

. 114,337.24 

3 

3,430.11 

Lines  and  poles 

. 237,335.39 

7 

16,613.48 

Towers  and  lamp  posts. . . . , 

. 109,948.65 

5 

5,497.43 

Electric  plant,  incandescent, 

37,648.07 

10 

3,764.81 

Electric  plant,  arc 

93,797.15 

10 

9,379.71 

Steam  plant 

158,620.13 

8 

12,689.61 

Railway  track  and  scales.. 

10,982.31 

5 

549.11 

Machine  shop 

8,226.27 

10 

822.63 

Arc  lamps  and  switches .... 

. 100,596.01 

10 

10,059.60 

Belle  Isle  Plant 

32,874.42 

10 

3,287.44 

Total  

.$1,192,508.98 

$73,435.71 

“This  depreciation  is  equivalent  to  over  6.15  per  cent  of  the  total 
investment  of  $1,192,508.98.  The  depreciation  at  this  rate  upon  the 
investment,  as  per  the  official  report,  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1906, 
or  upon  $930,557.99,  would  be  $57,346.56,  or  $29,429.82  in  excess  of  the 
depreciation  as  computed  would  be  $57,346.82  in  excess  of  the  deprecia- 
tion as  computed  on  the  three  per  cent  basis.  Apportioning  this  addi- 
tional depreciation  between  arc  and  incandescent  in  the  same  ratio  as 
total  cost  is  apportioned  in  the  Detroit  report,  the  additional  deprecia- 
tion chargeable  to  arc  lighting  becomes  $23,605.00.  The  average  number 
of  arc  lights  operated  during  the  year  was  3,080;  therefore,  this  additional 
depreciation  would  add  $7.67  per  arc  lamp  per  year;  raising  the  gross 
figure  from  $54.39  to  $62.06  per  lamp  per  year.” 

“With  a reasonable  charge  for  legal  services,  rebates  which  might  be 
obtained  from  a contracting  corporation  for  interruption  of  service,  over- 
head expense  and  various  other  items  which,  in  an  ordinary  commercial 
enterprise  would  be  charged  against  the  business,  the  gross  cost  per 
arc  lamp  per  year  would  be  considerably  higher  than  this  amount.” 

“Considering  the  fact  that  Detroit  has  more  than  twice  the  popula- 
tion of  Syracuse  and  that  it  has  more  than  twice  the  number  of  arc 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


25 


lamps  in  street  service,  that  coal  is  somewhat  cheaper  in  Detroit,  that 
the  total  number  of  hours  scheduled  per  lamp  is  somewhat  less  than 
Syracuse  and  that  the  Detroit  management  is  fully  as  efficient  as  could 
be  reasonably  expected  in  Syracuse,  the  above  analysis  dobs  not  indi- 
cate that  Syracuse  could  now  secure  cheaper  lighting  for  its  streets 
from  a municipal  plant  than  under  its  existing  contract  rates.” 


Cost  in  Other  Cities 

Leaving  out  of  account  any  additional  items  which  the  Syracuse 


Commission 

claims  should 

be  included 

in  the 

Detroit  cost. 

it  is  inter- 

esting  to  compare  the  rates 

of  the  city 

of  Detroit  under  municipal  own- 

ership  with 

tne  rates  paid 

by  some 

of  the 

larger  cities. 

particularly 

those  in  the 

same  section  of  the  country. 

ARC  LAMPS. 

incandescent  lamps. 

CITIES. 

Number. 

Cost  per  Yr. 

Watts 

Number. 

Cost 

per  .Lamp. 

per  Lamp. 

per  Year. 

New  York  . . 

. . . 13,972 

$ 90.00 

325 

4,588 

$22.50 

100.00 

450 

Philadelphia 

. . . 11,414 

99. GU 

480 

2,346 

.07y2kw. 

St.  Louis.... 

. . . 1,15U 

97.50 

285 

4,500 

19.05 

Hoston  

. . . 3,781 

124.10 

480 

Cleveland  . . 

. . . 1,757 

G7.92 

Buffalo 

. . . 2,85(5 

*5G.OO 

450 

**75.00 

450 

Cincinnati  . 

....  5,522 

*G0.00 

300 

**72.00 

300 

Baltimore  . . 

. . . 1,949 

G7.49 

450 

rittsburg  ... 

....  3,279 

70.00 

27.50 

Wasnington 

. . . 1,121 

85.00 

500 

1,073 

20.00 

.Detroit 

. . . 3,374 

G2.83 

14,590 

^Overhead. 

**  Underground. 

City  engineer  Edwin  A.  Fisher  of  Rochester,  New  York,  found  that 
the  average  cost  of  arc  lights  in  29  cities  witn  over  100,000  innaoitants 
is  $8(5.18  per  lamp  per  year. 

The  consideration  of  the  question,  “will  municipal  lighting  pay,” 
and  an  appeal  to  the  actual  experience  of  cities  which  have  operated 
municipal  plants  and  whose  conditions  are  comparable  to  those  of  St. 
Louis,  furnishes  no  satisfactory  answer  to  the  question.  Detroit  has 
succeeded  in  reducing  the  cost  considerably  below  the  average  paid  by 
the  first  twenty-nine  cities  in  America  but  not  so  iow  as  some. 

Chicago,  under  the  most  favorable  interpretation  of  the  figures,  was 
able  in  1905,  to  produce  arc  lights  for  $85.49  per  year,  which  was  69 
cents  less  than  the  above  average,  but  considerably  more  than  the 
contract  prices  paid  by  Cleveland,  Buffalo,  Cincinnati,  Baltimore  and 
Pittsburg. 

The  opinion  of  the  committee  is  that,  judging  from  the  results  of 
the  experience  of  these  two  cities,  the  question,  “will  municipal  lighting 
pay,”  cannot  be  answered  in  the  affirmative. 

The  committee  requested  two  of  its  members,  Prof.  Langsdorf  and 
Mr.  Lichter,  both  electrical  engineers,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  engi- 
neering problems  involved,  to  furnish  estimates  on  the  cost  of  con- 
struction and  operation  of  a municipal  lighting  plant  for  St.  Louis. 
Their  report  is  embodied  in  the  following  section. 


26 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


A Municipal  Lighting  Plant 

Cost  of  Construction  and  Operation. 

At  the  present  time  the  lighting  of  the  city  of  St.  Louis  is  done  partly 
by  contract  and  partly  by  the  city  itself,  the  contract  lighting,  however, 
constituting  by  far  the  larger  amount  of  the  total.  The  distribution  of 
lighting  between  the  two  systems  is  shown  by  the  following  table: 


Contract  Lighting. 

Street  arc  lamps  (about) 1,150 

Alley  incandescent  lamps  (about) . . 800 

Public  buildings,  16  c.  p.  incandescent 3,800 

Gas  mantle  lamps  (about) 18,000 

Municipal  Lighting. 

Equivalent  load  of  16  c.  p.  incandescent  lamps 13,216 


The  power  for  the  municipal  lighting  is  supplied  by  four  plants  lo- 
cated, respectively,  at  the  Water  Works,  the  Insane  Asylum,  the  new  City 
Hospital,  and  the  New  City  Hall.  These  plants  have,  respectively,  equiv- 
alent connected  loads  of  1698,  2195,  1400  and  7923  16  c.  p.  incandescent 
lamps.  Estimating  50  watts  per  lamp,  these  figures  represent  a total  con- 
nected load  of  661  kilowatts,  or  an  equivalent  station  load  of  750  kw., 
assuming  an  efficiency  of  85  per  cent.  But  inasmuch  as  the  total  con- 
nected load  is  made  up  of  both  lamps  and  motors,  the  actual  station  load 
will  never  be  as  great  as  this  figure,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  maximum 
load  at  any  one  time  will  never  exceed  300  kw.,  or  40  per  cent  of  the  con- 
nected load. 

The  great  bulk  of  the  city  lighting  is  required  for  the  streets  and 
alleys,  parks  and  public  places.  It  is  this  lighting,  together  with  that  of 
some  of  the  public  buildings  (mainly  police  and  fire  department  stations) 
that  is  now  supplied  by  contract,  and  it  is  effected  by  electricity  and  gas. 
The  “electric”  district  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  Jefferson  Avenue,  from 
Cass  Avenue  to  Chouteau  Avenue,  and  extends  northwardly  east  of 
Eleventh  Street  to  Bremen  Avenue  and  southwardly  east  of  Seventh  Street 
to  Arsenal  Street;  within  this  district  the  streets  are  lighted  by  arc  lamps 
and  the  alleys  by  32  c.  p.  incandescent  lamps.  The  remainder  of  the  city, 
north  and  south  of  Keokuk  Street,  is  lighted  by  gas  mantle  lamps. 


A Choice  of  Three  Systems 

In  determining  upon  a system  of  lighting  for  the  entire  city  it  be- 
comes a question  whether  the  lighting  shall  be  done  wholly  by  electricity 
or  by  electricity  and  gas  in  combination.  And  in  either  case,  whether 
resort  shall  be  had  to  a municipal  plant,  an  exclusive  contract  system, 
or  a mixture  of  the  two.  It  is  obviously  absurd  to  contemplate  a municipal 
gas  plant  for  street  lighting  alone;  and  it  is  likewise  unnecessary  for  the 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


27 


present  purpose  to  consider  the  case  of  gas  lighting  by  contract  and  electric 
lighting  by  a municipal  plant,  for  the  reason  that  such  an  electrical 
plant  would  he  too  small.  (In  this  connection  it  may  be  pointed  out  that 
the  contract  price  for  gas  lighting  is  at  the  present  time  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  70  or  75  per  cent  of  the  total.)  Hence  the  above  alternatives 
reduce  to  the  following: 

(1)  Contract  system,  electric  lighting  only. 

(2)  Contract  system,  electricity  and  gas  in  combination. 

(3)  Municipal  plant,  electric  lighting  only. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  the  committee  that,  under  existing  conditions, 
either  the  first  or  the  second  of  these  three  alternatives  is  preferable  to 
the  third,  provided,  of  course,  that  a contract  can  be  drawn  with  prop- 
erly safeguarded  conditions  and  at  a reasonable  price.  While  it  is  true 
that  the  public  service  corporations  now  in  the  field  have  a practical 
monopoly,  it  is  still  true  that  they  possess  adequate  equipment  for  the 
required  service,  and  that  they  can  profitably  undertake  the  work  at  a 
price  at  least  as  low  as  a municipal  plant  could  meet.  Again,  it  is  possible 
that  the  city,  if  it  were  to  build  a municipal  plant,  could  not  secure  per- 
mission to  use  existing  conduits  and  pole  lines,  so  that  an  unsightly  multi- 
plication of  pole  lines  and  wires  would  result  in  the  districts  where  such 
unsightliness  is  least  desirable.  In  addition,  an  electrical  plant  for  street 
illumination  only  (or  for  the  greater  part)  can  not  be  operated  econom- 
ically on  the  basis  of  cost  per  kilowatt  hour,  because  such  a plant  is 
under  full  load  for  less  than  half  the  time,  and  is  practically  idle  during 
the  remaining  time.  The  fixed  charges,  however,  run  on  all  the  time,  so 
that  when  they  are  distributed  over  the  working  time  they  are  somewhat 
more  than  twice  as  great  as  in  a plant  operating  24  hours  per  day. 
This  increased  cost  per  kilowatt  hour  is  somewhat  reduced  by  reason  of 
the  fact  that  a lighting  plant  for  street  illumination  is  running  under 
conditions  of  maximum  efficiency  when  actually  in  use,  so  that  the  actual 
operating  cost  is  less  tnan  in  a plant  having  a smaller  “load  factor,”  that 
is,  furnishing  a continuous  but  fluctuating  service.  The  only  remedy  for 
this  defect  of  discontinuous  load  is  to  secure  a “day  load”  for  the  munici- 
pal plant,  and  this  can  only  be  done  by  entering  the  field  in  competition 
with  private  companies. 

Estimated  Cost  of  Construction 

It  is,  nevertheless,  desirable  to  know  the  probable  cost  of  construct- 
ing and  operating  a municipal  plant  for  the  sake  of  comparison  with  the 
present  cost  to  the  city  as  fixed  by  contracts  now  in  force.  This  matter 
has  been  carefully  investigated  by  Mr.  Thomas  B.  Carter,  formerly  Super- 
visor of  City  Lighting,  and  by  Messrs.  Holman  and  Laird,  consulting 
engineers.  Mr.  Carter’s  report  was  submitted  to  the  Board  of  Public  Im- 
provements on  November  27,  1906,  and  that  of  Messrs.  Holman  and  Laird 
on  March  30,  1907.  The  latter  report  is  in  the  nature  of  a review  of  the 
former.  The  estimates  of  total  cost  as  published  in  the  two  reports  are 
practically  the  same,  that  of  Mr.  Carter  being  $2,523,200,  and  Holman  and 
Laird’s  $2,552,000.  Both  estimates  are  based  on  a system  of  arc  and  incan- 


28 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


descent  lighting;  arc  lamps  for  the  streets  and  incandescent  lamps  for  the 
alleys,  parks  and  public  buildings.  The  type  of  arc  light  recommended  is 
the  7.5  ampere  series  enclosed  alternating  lamp,  taking  480  watts  at  the  arc, 
and  80  c.  p.  series  incandescent  lamps  for  the  alleys.  The  average  spacing 
of  the  arc  lamps  is  figured  at  400  feet,  and  that  of  the  alley  lamps  at  300 
feet.  According  to  Messrs.  Holman  and  Laird,  the  former  are  to  be  dis- 
tributed over  600  miles  of  the  total  900  miles  of  streets  and  the  latter 
over  200  miles  of  the  350  miles  of  alleys.  This  allows  for  the  probable 
extensions  of  street  and  alley  improvements  for  a few  years  to  come,  as 
well  as  of  considerably  more  lighting  than  is  now  done,  and  these 
spacings  conform  to  average  practice.  The  total  number  of  street  lamps 
is  therefore — 

Arcs,  400  feet  apart,  13.2  per  mile,  600  miles 7,920 

Incandescents  (30  c.  p.),  300  feet  apart,  17.6  per  mile,  200  miles 3,520 

Allowing  in  addition  2,000  30  c.  p.  lamps  for  parks  and  public  places 
and  20,000  16  c.  p.  incandescent  lamps  for  buildings  (instead  of  the 
present  17,000),  the  total  connected  load  “at  the  lamps’’  will  be — 


7,920  arcs,  taking  500  watts  each 3,960  kw. 

5,520  30  c.  p.  lamps,  taking  81  watts  each 447  “ 

20,000  16  c.  p.  lamps,  taking  50  watts  each 1,000  “ 


Total 5,407 


The  actual  maximum  working  load  will,  however,  be  less  than  this, 
on  account  of  the  fact  that  the  building  load  will  never  be  on  in  full 
when  the  street  lamps  are  running — i.  e.,  at  night.  The  actual  maximum 
load  at  the  lamps  may  be  estimated  by  assuming  that  the  maximum 
building  load  will  be  25  per  cent  of  the  connected  load,  or  250  kw.  Hence 
the  maximum  load  at  the  lamps  is — 


7,920  arcs  3,960  kw. 

5,520  30  c.  p.  incandescents 447  “ 

20,000  16  c.  p.  incandescents 250  “ 


4,657  “ 

Assuming  an  average  efficiency  of  distribution  of  82  per  cent,  the 
station  load  will  then  be  5,680  kw.,  or  with  reserve  allowance,  say  6,000  kw. 
This  margin  is,  however,  somewhat  small  for  the  reason  that  the  plant 
would  be  carrying  a practically  steady  load  and  would  therefore  be  de- 
signed with  a few  large  generating  units  rather  than  a multiplicity  of 
small  ones;  a breakdown  of  one  unit  would,  therefore,  be  fatal  to  con- 
tinuous service  unless  the  station  capacity  were  made  about  7,000  kw. 

Since  the  estimates  of  Mr.  Carter  were  made,  additional  improvements 
in  the  “underground”  district  have  been  made,  and  more  are  about  to  be 
started.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  his  estimate  of  $275,000  for  conduits 
(raised  to  $285,000  by  Messrs.  Holman  and  Laird)  is  too  low.  Probably 
a safe  estimate  of  the  total  cost,  including  the  increased  cost  of  1,000  kw. 
additional  equipment,  would  be  $2,750,000. 

It  has  been  assumed  by  the  committee  that  the  detailed  estimates  of 
costs  of  circuits,  lamps,  buildings,  etc.,  as  determined  in  the  reports  above 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


29 


referred  to  are  correct.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  a complete  estimate  on 
our  part  would  involve  an  amount  of  work  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 
value  of  the  result,  and  even  were  such  work  undertaken  it  could  not 
be  pushed  to  completion  without  having  at  hand  all  data  concerning 
routes  of  pole  lines,  conduits,  etc.,  in  the  possession  of  city  officials. 

Estimated  Cost  of  Operation 

The  present  time  is  an  awkward  one  for  deciding  upon  the  particular 
types  of  electric  lamps  to  be  recommended.  The  art  of  electric  lighting  is 
at  present  in  a state  of  exceedingly  rapid  development,  and  it  is  not  un- 
likely that  the  advances  of  the  next  year  will  render  obsolete  types  of 
lamps  now  in  common  use.  Several  types  of  “luminous”  or  “flaming” 
arc  lamps,  of  much  higher  efficiency  than  the  carbon  arc,  and  giving  a 
better  distribution  of  lignt  than  the  latter,  are  already  on  the  market; 
difficulties  have  arisen  in  their  operation,  but  it  is  altogether  probable 
that  they  will  be  successfully  overcome  as  experience  accumulates.  Some 
of  these  luminous  arcs  are  in  use,  but  data  as  to  their  operation  are  not 
obtainable.  Similarly,  the  advent  of  the  tungsten  and  other  metallic 
filament  lamps  promise  a much  more  economical  small  unit  of  light.  The 
so-called  “metallized”  filament  lamp  has  been  here  figured  upon;  it 
consumes  2.7  watts  per  c.  p.  instead  of  3.5  as  in  the  old  style  carbon 
lamps.  The  tungsten  lamp  for  series  street  lighting  has  a specific 
consumption  of  something  over  one  watt  per  candle,  or  about  twice  the 
efficiency  of  the  metallized  filament  lamp,  but  there  is  little  data  con- 
cerning its  actual  performance  in  such  service. 

With  regard  to  a possible  choice  between  direct  and  alternating 
current  arc  lamps,  the  latter  are  thought  to  be  preferable.  The  direct 
current  arc  has  the  characteristic  of  throwing  its  strongest  light  down- 
ward at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees  with  the  horizontal,  though  this 
is  modified  by  the  enclosing  globes.  The  alternating  current  lamp  throws 
a much  larger  part  of  the  light  in  the  horizontal  direction,  and  is,  there- 
fore, better  suited  for  securing  uniform  illumination. 

The  cost  of  operating  the  lamps  may  be  estimated  as  follows,  assuming 
the  use  of  7.5  ampere  series  arc  lamps  consuming  500  watts  each,  and 
of  30  c.  p.  series  incandescent  lamps  taking  81  watts  each. 

Assuming  an  efficiency  of  distribution  ot  80  per  cent  for  the  arcs 
and  series  incandescent  lamps,  the  total  station  output  will  be — 

Kw.  Hours. 

7,920  arcs,  500  watts  each,  4,100  hours  per  year 20,300,000 

5,520  incandescents  (30  c.  p.),  81  watts  each,  4,100  hours  per  year  2,040,000 
20,000  incandescents  (16  c.  p.),  50  watts  each,  4,100  hours  per  year  1,600,000 

Total 23,940,000 

or,  approximately,  25,000,000  kw.-hours  per  annum. 

In  a plant  of  this  size,  conveniently  located  for  the  delivery  of  coal 
and  for  obtaining  an  adequate  water  supply,  it  should  be  possible  to 
produce  power  at  a cost  of  0.6  cents  per  kw.-hour  at  the  switchboard, 
resulting  in  an  annual  operating  cost  of — 

25,000,000x.006 $150,000 


30 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


Allowing  interest  at  the  rate  of  4 per  cent,  and  depreciation  at  8 per 
cent,  the  fixed  annual  charge  due  to  these  items  will  be  (on  an  invest- 
ment of  $2,750,000: 

2,750,000x.l2 $330,000 

Administration,  expenses  of  distribution,  insurance  and  repairs  will 
add  approximately  $125,000  more,  so  that  the  total  annual  cost  will  be 
about  $605,000,  or  at  the  rate  of  2.42  cents  per  kw.  hour.  It  will  probably 
be  safer  to  put  this  figure  at  2 y2  cents  per  kw.  hour. 

The  cost  per  arc  per  annum  is  then,  assuming  80  per  cent  efficiency, 
500  watts  at  the  lamp— f-. 80  x hours  at  2 y2  cents  per  kw.-hour  $64.06 


Carbons,  trimming,  cleaning,  etc 5.00 


Total $69.06 

The  cost  for  a 30  c.  p.  incandescent  lamp,  taking  81  watts  at  the 
lamp,  is: 

.UxH%%x  .025 $10.38 

Renewals,  maintenance,  repairs,  etc.  (about) 6.00 


$16.38 

The  present  cost  of  arc  lighting  is  at  the  rate  of  $23.77  per  1000  lamp 
hours,  or  approximately  $97.50  per  lamp  per  annum;  the  rate  for  incan- 
descent alley  lamps  is  $4.79  per  1000  lamp  hours,  or  approximately  $19.65 
per  lamp  per  annum.  It  must  be  considered  in  connection  with  the 
figures  for  arc  lamps  that  the  estimate  of  $69.06  is  for  a 7.5  ampere 
lamp  (consuming  480  watts  at  the  arc),  while  the  contract  price  of 
$97.50  is  for  a 4.4  ampere  lamp  (consuming  about  285  watts  at  the  arc). 


Lighting  in  Residential  Districts 

If  the  present  system  of  using  gas  and  electricity  be  retained,  there 
is  little  doubt  that  the  average  intensity  of  illuminating  in  the  resi- 
dential districts  should  be  increased.  Strangers  in  the  city  often  com- 
ment on  the  dimness  of  our  street  lighting.  The  lamps  serve  more  as 
markers  along  the  way  than  as  a means  of  securing  protection  from 
nigiit  prowlers.  In  many  places  the  average  illumination  is  low,  and  the 
minimum  is  very  low,  falling  to  0.01  foot-candles  or  less.  (A  foot-candle 
is  the  intensity  of  light  due  to  a standard  candle  at  a distance  of  one  foot). 
To  afford  the  equivalent  of  even  dim  moonlight  the  intensity  should  be 
at  least  twice  this  figure;  a minimum  of  0.01  foot-candle  can  be  obtained 
by  placing  common  candles  along  the  curb  about  25  feet  apart.  A proper 
minimum  is  at  least  0.03  foot-candles. 

Gas  lighting  as  against  arc  lighting  of  residence  districts  has  the 
advantage  that  the  units  of  light  are  smaller  and  can  be  more  closely 
spaced,  thereby  giving  a better  average  distribution  of  light — the  intensity 
of  the  units  being  relatively  small,  they  can  be  placed  low  so  as  to  avoid 


High  Electric  Lamps  — Gas  Lamps  Under  Trees  — A Suggestion  for  Residential  Districts. 


32 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


producing  the  heavy  shadows  cast  by  trees  as  in  the  case  of  arc  lamps. 
But  the  present  cost  per  gas  mantle  lamp,  about  $27.00  per  year,  is  much 
too  high.  As  an  illustration  of  the  amount  of  the  excess,  the  experience 
of  the  city  of  Cleveland  may  be  cited  which  in  1904  undertook  the  oper- 
ation of  its  gas  lamps,  paying  the  gas  company  at  the  rate  of  75  cents 
per  1000  cubic  feet  of  gas  consumed.  The  cost  per  lamp  per  year  was  then 
reduced  from  $22  (the  original  contract  price)  to  $12.56  in  1904,  $13.44 
in  1905,  and  $13.17  in  1906.  The  lamps  in  this  case  were  of  the  Wels- 
bach  incandescent  type  giving  about  55  candle-power,  on  substantially 
the  same  as  those  in  use  in  St.  Louis.  Each  of  these  lamps  consumes  gas 
at  the  rate  of  about  3 cubic  feet  per  hour,  and  is  in  operation  4,150  hours 
per  year,  representing  an  annual  consumption  of  12,450  cubic  feet,  which 
at  the  rate  of  $1.00  per  thousand,  represents  a value  of  $12.45;  main- 
tenance charges,  including  supplies,  extinguishing,  lighting,  etc.,  will 
amount  to  from  $6.75  to  $7.00  per  annum;  so  that  the  total  is  between 
$19.20  ana  $19.45.  The  charge  to  the  city  for  the  operation  of  such  a 
lamp  should  not  exceed  $20.00  per  year. 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


33 


Three  Solutions 

Municipal  Ownership,  Competition  or  Regulation. 

The  estimates  in  the  preceding  paragraphs  show  conclusively  that  a 
municipal  plant,  if  constructed  and  operated  economically,  would  light 
the  streets,  public  grounds  and  buildings  of  the  city,  at  a cost  per  lamp 
per  year  considerably  below  the  present  contract  price.  But  this  is 
assuming  that  the  plant  would  be  managed  and  operated  with  the  same 
degree  of  skill  as  is  a private  plant.  In  view  of  the  fact,  however,  that 
our  city  has  not  yet  definitely  adopted  the  policy  of  appointing  men  to 
office  because  of  their  fitness  for  the  particular  position,  that  skilled 
service  and  long  tenure  of  office  are  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule, 
and  that  the  experience  of  other  cities  goes  to  show  that  municipalities 
almost  invariably  pay  more  for  supplies  than  do  private  companies,  the 
city,  we  believe,  can  hardly  expect  to  furnish  its  own  light  at  the  price 
indicated  in  the  three  estimates  of  Mr.  Carter,  Messrs.  Holman  and  Laird, 
and  Messrs.  Langsdorf  and  Lichter. 

The  present  price,  $97.50,  which  the  city  is  paying  for  arc  lamps,  is 
too  high  as  is  shown  by  the  figures  above  quoted  and  is  impliedly  admitted 
in  the  statement  of  the  manager  of  the  Union  Electric  Company  to  the 
Mayor,  in  which  he  says  that  the  company  can  furnish  equivalent  lights 
in  the  future  at  a considerably  lower  price  than  the  city  is  now  paying. 

Competition  Not  the  Solution 

It  has  been  suggested  and  strongly  advocated  that  the  only  way  to 
secure  the  lowest  price  for  public  lighting  is  to  open  the  field  to  com- 
petition. We  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  wholly  inadvisable  to  grant  at 
this  time  a franchise  to  another  lighting  company  for  the  purpose  of 
reducing  the  cost  of  lighting  by  competition.  As  was  pointed  out  in  the 
opening  paragraphs,  street  lighting  is  a function  which  can  not  be  regu- 
lated to  the  best  interests  of  the  city  by  competition.  The  cost  of  dupli- 
cating the  equipment,  the  damage  to  the  streets,  the  disposition  toward 
over-capitalization  on  the  part  of  the  franchise-holding  corporations, 
makes  competition  costly,  and  this  added  expense,  must  be  paid  for  out 
of  the  taxes  paid  by  the  people.  Furthermore,  the  almost  inevitable 
tendency  of  competing  companies  in  this  form  of  public  service  to  merge, 
as  has  been  the  experience  in  this  city,  indicate  that  competition  will  not 
permanently  solve  the  lighting  question.  The  only  competitor  which 
should  be  permitted  in  the  field  is  the  city  itself,  and  the  municipality 
shoulu  not  enter  the  field  until  it  has  thoroughly  tested  its  power  to 
regulate  and  control  this  public  utility. 

Ample  Power  to  Regulate 

Under  the  Enabling  Act  passed  by  the  Legislature  in  May,  1907,  the 
city  has  full  power  and  authority  to  determine  and  fix  a reasonable 
rate  for  lighting  both  by  electricity  and  gas,  and  the  statute  gives  the 
city  the  right  to  examine  the  books  of  existing  corporations  for  the 


34 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


purpose  of  ascertaining  what  is  a reasonable  rate.  The  main  provisions 
of  the  act,  as  far  as  relates  to  street  lighting,  are: 

“Any  * * corporation  * * engaged  in  furnishing  gas,  steam,  or 

electricity  under  franchises  granted  by  the  state  or  any  of  the  cities 
thereof  * * is  hereby  required  to  charge  no  more  for  the  services  of 

such  utilities  than  such  rates  as  shall  be  fixed  from  time  to  time,  by 
ordinance  * * and  all  cities  * * are  hereby  granted  power  and 

authority  to  fix  the  rates  * * and  to  provide  and  enforce  fines  and 

penalties  for  the  violation  thereof,  and  to  change  the  rates,  by  ordinance, 
from  time  to  time,  as  often  as  may  be  deemed  necessary:  Provided,  how- 
ever, that  such  rates  must  be  reasonable  and  shall  not  be  changed  oftener 
than  once  every  two  years.” 

“Any  such  city  * * may,  by  ordinance,  provide  for  and  establish 

a committee  or  a commission  to  make  investigation  into  all  facts  and 
matter  touching  the  establishing  of  such  just  and  reasonable  rates  of 
charges,  * * to  require  and  enforce  the  production  of  books  and 

papers,  and  to  compel  the  attendance  of  witnesses.” 

Under  the  provisions  of  this  law  the  city  can,  by  ordinance,  provide 
for  the  appointment  of  a commission  to  make  the  necessary  investigations 
to  determine  what  is  a reasonable  rate.  If  the  regulations  under  this 
law  prove  ineffective  in  securing  reasonable  terms  to  the  city,  then  the 
only  recourse  is  a municipal  plant.  But  municipal  operation  should  not 
be  undertaken  until  the  power  to  regulate  and  control  has  been  thoroughly 
tested. 

Short  Term  Contract  and  Metered  Service 

If  the  city  succeeds  in  securing  reasonable  rates  for  the  lighting  of 
the  streets,  the  contract  should  not  be  made  for  a long  term  of  years. 
While  a long  term  contract  might  make  possible  a slightly  lower  rate 
for  a few  years,  it  is  sure  to  prove  unprofitable  to  the  city  in  the  long  run. 
The  art  of  electric  lighting  both  as  concerns  the  generation  and  receiving 
equipment  is  m a state  of  exceedingly  rapid  development,  so  that  the 
cost  of  producing  the  light  is  being  greatly  reduced.  This  increased 
economy  in  generating  power  coupled  with  the  advance  in  the  efficiency 
of  electric  lamps,  both  arc  and  incandescent,  have  reduced  the  cost  of 
commercial  lighting  in  the  past  ten  years  fully  40  per  cent;  and  these  reduc- 
tions are  only  indications  of  further  economies  in  the  near  future,  some 
of  which  are  already  in  sight. 

The  city  can  not  reap  the  advantage  of  these  new  methods,  these 
advances  in  the  efficiency  of  electric  lamps,  and  the  new  inventions  that 
are  sure  to  be  made  in  the  next  decade  if  a long-term  contract,  calling 
for  a certain  type  and  make  of  lamps,  and  of  a specified  candle  power, 
is  entered  into  with  a private  corporation. 

Furthermore,  metered  service  should  be  provided  for  in  any  contract. 
It  will  permit  a change  to  a more  efficient  type  of  lamp  (when  proved 
desirable)  without  necessitating  a new  contract  to  cover  new  conditions 
of  current  supply  and  will  prevent  the  usual  loss  to  the  city  through  the 
arbitrary  and  very  uncertain  “candle-power”  rating.  This  metering  of 
electric  current  is  now  frequently  done  by  public  lighting  companies  for 
their  own  information.  It  is  a practical  proposition,  as  has  been  proven 
in  Boston  which  has  for  a number  of  years  required  such  measurements. 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


35 


Illumination  and  Street  Fixtures 

In  view  of  the  recent  agitation  for  better  illumination  in  the  down- 
town district  of  this  city  and  the  general  movement  in  American  cities 
not  only  for  better  lighting  but  for  ornamental  poles  and  electroliers,  your 
committee  deemed  it  wise  to  add  to  this  report  some  of  the  suggestions 
along  this  line  which  have  come  to  them  in  the  course  of  this  in- 
vestigation. 

The  need  for  more  brilliant  illumination  of  our  business  streets  is 
admitted  by  all,  and  no  one  denies  that  well  lighted  streets  distinctly  affect 
the  social  and  moral  conditions  in  a city.  It  has  been  said  that  one 
street  lamp  is  as  effective  as  five  policemen.  Social  workers  in  the 
crowded  sections  of  the  city  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that  filth  and 


Unnecessary  Duplication  of  Poles. 


immorality  decrease  as  the  amount  of  light  increases,  and  that  well 
lighted  streets  improve  the  moral  tone  of  even  the  most  vicious  neigh- 
borhoods. 


Electroliers  on  South  Broadway,  Los  Angeles. 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


37 


Furthermore,  a well  lighted  business  district  makes  a city  attractive 
not  only  to  residents  out  also  to  strangers  and  travelers.  No  form  of 
improvement  leaves  a more  favorable  impression  on  the  visitor  than  the 
bright,  cheerful  glare  of  many  street  lights.  American  cities  are  beginning 
to  appreciate  this  and  in  some  of  them  a well  defined  and  uniform  system 
has  been  adopted,  insuring  not  only  plenty  of  illumination  at  night  but 
ornamental  poles  and  electroliers  which  will  add  to  the  appearance  of  the 
street  during  the  day. 

Artistic  Lighting  in  Los  Angeles 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  one  of  the  first  cities  to  give  special  attention  to 
this  feature  of  improvement,  has  put  into  operation  a uniform  style  over 
5.8  miles  of  its  streets.  The  city  electrician,  Mr.  R.  H.  Manahan,  thus 
describes  it: 

“The  first  lighting  by  incandescnet  lamps  on  ornamental  posts  in  our 
business  streets  was  taken  up  by  tne  merchants  and  property  owners  on 
Broadway,  working  under  their  organization  known  as  the  Broadway 
Improvement  Association.  The  Association,  by  means  of  subscriptions 
from  property  owners  and  merchants  along  the  street,  raised  funds  for 
installing  135  cast-iron  ornamental  posts.  These  posts  are  located  at 
about  120-foot  intervals  along  each  side  of  the  street  and  originally 
contained  an  aggregate  of  384  candle-power  in  twelve  32  candle-power 
incandescent  lamps.  This  would  be  equivalent  to  nearly  thirty-seven  450- 
watt  arc  lamps  per  block,  there  being  twelve  posts  per  block  on  this 
particular  street.” 

“The  cost  of  lighting  these  posts  was  assumed  by  the  city,  and,  as 
one  can  readily  see  from  the  above  comparison,  was  a very  expensive 
method  when  considered  apart  from  its  advertising  and  artistic  features; 
and,  in  view  of  other  streets  asking  for  the  same  improvement,  the 
experiment  was  tried  on  reducing  the  aggregate  candle-power  one-half, 
with  very  satisfactory  results  both  financially  and  from  the  standpoint  of 
illumination,  the  general  effect  looking  down  the  street  being  practically 
the  same.” 

“Owing  to  the  difficulty  which  the  Broadway  Association  had  in 
securing  subscriptions  from  all  the  property  owners  on  the  street,  an 
act  was  passed  at  the  next  session  of  the  State  Legislature  enabling 
property  owners  along  any  street  to  institute  proceedings  for  improvement 
of  this  character.  Upon  favorable  action  by  the  City  Council  an  assess- 
ment was  formed,  upon  which  the  cost  of  the  improvement  was  levied 
in  the  same  manner  as  is  done  in  ordinary  street  improvement  work. 
The  three  other  principal  streets  upon  which  ornamental  posts  are  now 
installed  used  the  assessment  method,  and  it  has  been  very  satisfactory  in 
operation. 

“We  have  two  general  types  of  posts,  the  four-arm  and  the  six-arm, 
with  16-inch  and  18-inch  top  globes.  The  six-arm  post  is  the  one  adopted 
by  the  Broadway  Association,  and  the  present  arrangement  of  lamps  con- 
sists of  three  32  candle-power  lamps  in  the  18-inch  top  globes  and  one 
16  candle-power  lamp  in  each  of  the  8-inch  enclosing  frosted  globes.  The 


tDouble  Arc  Light  Post  — Detroit.  tDouble  Arc  Light  Post  — Rochester,  N.  Y.  *Double  Arc  Light  Post — New  York 


fArc  Light  Post — Hamilton  Fish  Park,  New  York.  *Electrolier — Fifth  Avenue,  New  York.  *Single  Arc  Light  Post  New  York. 

^Courtesy  of  J.  L.  Mott  Iron  Works,  N.  Y.  fCourtesy  of  Municipal  Journal  and  Engineer 


40 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


four-arm  post  used  on  the  other  streets  contains  three  8 candle-power 
lamps  in  each  12-inch  globe  on  the  arms  and  three  32  candle-power  lamps 
in  the  16-inch  top  globe. 

“Provision  has  been  made  on  the  later  posts,  erected  for  extra  circuit 
wires,  so  that  they  may  be  used  for  decorative  lights  strung  along  or 
across  the  streets.  The  connections  to  these  posts  were  installed  by  the 
respective  lighting  companies  at  their  own  cost;  having  underground 
conduits  already  in  the  street,  they  simply  ran  the  necessary  service  wires 
from  their  manholes  to  the  posts  at  a nominal  expense. 

“Lighting  hours  for  these  posts  vary  according  to  conditions.  On 
the  main  business  streets  all  posts  are  lighted  until  midnight,  and  after 
midnight  two  posts  at  each  street  intersection.  In  the  semi-residence  sec- 
tion, all  posts  are  lighted  until  10  o’clock  and  the  balance  until  12  or  later, 
as  desired  by  the  property  owners. 

“In  the  following  tabulated  form  I have  shown  the  extent  and 
original  cost  of  installing  the  posts,  including  globes  and  necessary 
wires  to  the  base  of  the  post,  at  which  point  the  lighting  companies 
connect  their  service  wires;  also  the  total  cost  and  cost  per  front  foot  for 
current  for  one  year: 


ORNAMENTAL  POSTS. 


Street  ^ 

Hill,  8,445 

Broadway,  7,125 
Spring,  5,750 

Main,  9,420 

No.  of 
Posts. 

164 

135 

132 

163 

Candle  Pow-  Total  Candle 
er  per  Post.  Power. 

192  31,500 

192  25,900 

192  25,300 

192  31,300 

Cost  of  In- 
stallation. 

$17,294.00 

14.000. 00 
14,628.00 

19.000. 00 

Cost  per 
Front  Foot. 

$0.94 

1.00 

1.06 

1.10 

Cost  per 
Post. 

$105.25 

103.00 

110.00 
116.00 

Totals, 

5.8  miles 

, 594 

192  114,000 

$64,922.00 

COST 

OF  LIGHTING  OF  ORNAMENTAL 

POSTS. 

Street. 

Rate  per  K.  W.  Hour. 

Yearly  Cost. 

Cost  per  Front  Foot. 

Hill  

. . . . 3%  cts. 

$ 9,200.00 

$0.50 

Broadway  

. ...  3 % “ 

7,780.00 

.556 

Spring  . 

. ...  3%  “ 

7,625.00 

.65 

Main  . . . 

....  3%  “ 

9,810.00 

.568 

Totals 

....  33/4  “ 

$31,562.50 

“The  entire  maintenance  of  the  posts  is  made  a part  of  the  company’s 
contract,  this  including  all  necessary  repairs  to  wiring,  broken  globes 
and  renewal  of  lamps  and  necessary  cleaning  and  washing  of  the  enclosed 
frosted  globes.” 

St.  Paul 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  has  adopted  a similar  post  for  her  main  business 
street.  The  St.  Paul  Gas  Light  Company  took  the  initiative — worked  up 
an  interest  among  business  men  and  induced  the  property  owners  to 
furnish  the  electrolier,  and  the  tenant  to  pay  for  the  light.  Sixty-five 


Combination  Light  and  Trolley  Pole  — Frankfort,  Germany.  Electrolier  in  Market  Place  — Dresden,  Germany.  Electrolier  — St.  Paul. 


42 


Street  Lighting  in  St.  Louis. 


posts  have  been  erected  and  fifty-four  more  contracted  for.  The  cost  per 
standard  installed  and  ready  for  lighting  is  $100.00.  The  total  cost  of 
maintenance  and  lighting  is  approximately  $100  per  post  per  year,  the 
company  charging  five  cents  per  kw.  hour.  This  uniform  system  with 
posts  100  feet  apart  has  added  much  to  the  appearance  of  the  street  with- 
out seriously  detracting  from  window  displays. 

Other  Cities 

The  same  style  of  post  has  been  installed  by  a few  of  the  merchants 
on  Washington  Avenue,  St.  Louis. 

Denver  has  worked  out  a uniform  system  for  Sixteenth  Street  along 
a somewhat  different  line.  Here  the  standards  are  designed  to  serve  not 
only  for  ornamental  light  posts  but  also  as  support  for  trolley  wires  and 
feed  wires.  The  poles  are  placed  about  90  feet  apart,  on  each  side  of  the 
street.  The  lamps  are  alternating  current  enclosed  arcs  of  110  volts,  6.6 
amperes  in  opal  globes;  the  outer  one  only  being  used  so  as  to  present 
a single  line  vista  down  the  street.  Eleven  blocks  are  thus  lighted  by 
the  Denver  Gas  & Electric  Company  at  a uniform  cost  of  $60  per  lamp. 
The  expense  is  borne  by  the  city.  The  total  cost  of  equipping  the  street 
was  approximately  $16,000.  The  system  has  proven  to  be  so  satisfactory 
that  the  merchants  on  other  down-town  streets  are  urging  the  city  to 
extend  the  new  lighting  scheme  to  other  principal  streets. 

Rochester,  New  York,  has  effected  a similar  combination  of  electric 
light  and  trolley  pole.  Main  Street,  with  its  ornamental  posts  about  100 
feet  apart,  makes  a very  brilliant  and  attractive  appearance  at  night. 

D.  H.  Burnham,  the  well-known  architect,  has  prepared  a design  for 
Market  Street,  San  Francisco,  which  also  serves  for  both  the  trolley  pole 
and  the  lamp  standard.  The  design  is  somewhat  similar  to  the  posts 
in  the  center  of  some  of  the  Paris  boulevards,  except  that  the  poles  will 
be  necessarily  much  higher  in  order  to  serve  as  trolley  poles. 

The  difficulty  with  the  combination  post  of  the  San  Francisco  type 
is  that  it  throws  the  light  so  high  above  the  street  as  to  be  of  little  effect. 
Denver  has  avoided  this  by  placing  the  lights  lower  down  on  brackets. 
Most  of  the  European  cities  use  the  tall  standards  for  the  electric  lights, 
but  have  in  addition  the  gas  lamps  along  the  curb  under  the  trees. 
This  combination  of  gas  and  electric  lights  is  especially  desirable  in 
residential  districts.  Some  of  the  continental  cities  obviate  the  necessity 
of  trolley  poles  on  business  streets  by  attaching  the  trolley  wires  to 
adjoining  buildings.  Feed  wires  are  uniformly  placed  underground. 

We  are  convinced  that  the  time  has  come  when  St.  Louis  should 
adopt  a comprehensive  and  uniform  system  for  lighting  her  business 
streets.  Whatever  design  of  standard  is  adopted — whether  the  com- 
bination trolley  and  light  pole  or  the  electrolier  with  incandescent 
clusters — it  should  be  more  artistic  than  the  present  standards;  it  should 
be  uniform  for  all  of  the  main  business  streets  and  the  lights  should  be 
frequent  enough  to  furnish  illumination  sufficient  to  make  the  business 
section  of  the  city  attractive  at  night.  Efficient  and  artistic  illumination 
is  a commercial  asset  of  considerable  importance  to  any  city. 


Sixteenth  Street,  Denver  — Electric  Light  and  Trolley  Post  Combined 


Designed  for 
Market  Street, 
San  Francisco. 
Trolley  and 
Lamp  Post 
Combined. 


